The ERDF department - Beliris

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) serves as the European Union's financial leverage for its cohesion and regional development policy. The ERDF's goal is to correct the economic, social and territorial imbalances between the European Union's 27 member states by co-financing projects that are aimed towards intelligent, sustainable and inclusive economic growth. The financial framework defines programming periods of seven year in order to accomplish the projects in the various European regions, with an extra two to three years to complete the projects if necessary. In the Brussels-Capital Region, the government has decided to set up a department in the Brussels Regional Public Service that specifically focusses on the ERDF management and coordination. Within the General Department Brussels International, the ERDF department prepares the operational programmes, carries them out and takes care of their follow-up. At the start of the programming period, the calls for projects are drawn up and issued, after which the projects are selected. During the carrying out of the programme and the projects, the ERDF department accompanies the various project leaders, ensures the proper conduct of the programme and it also performs a first control of the expenditures. The ERDF department constitutes a multidisciplinary team. The department also serves as the contact point for the European institutions and regional and local actors, as well as for the beneficiaries of the European funding and the corresponding departments of the two other Belgian regions and the European regions.

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The ERDF Operational Programme of the Brussels-Capital Region sustains initiatives that contribute to a better urban environment and that are in keeping with the idea of a sustainable urban development as advocated by the European Union and that help to realize the Region's ecologic, economic and human full potential. The programme consists of four main axes, with the following budgetary partition: research and innovation (18%), entrepreneurship and SME development (32.6%), support for the development of a circular economy and a rational use of resources (26.6%), the improvement of the living conditions and the environment for vulnerable neighbourhoods and communities (15.2%). The programme's total budget amounts to 191,555,016.00 euro (50% financial contribution of the EU and 50% of the Brussels-Capital Region).

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The ERDF department takes part in several meetings with experts on the post 2020 cohesion policy and has already started preparing the programme based on the available information. The EU investments in the 2021-2027 period pursue five main goals, i.e. a more intelligent Europe (innovation, digitalization), a greener and carbon neutral Europe, a better connected Europe (strategic transport and digital communication networks), a more social Europe (strengthening the European pillar of social rights) and a Europe that is closer to its citizens (development strategies on a local level and a sustainable urban development in the entire European Union). Contact ERDF: feder@sprb.brussels

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The ERDF department is also responsible for the administrative coordination of the Beliris projects. Beliris is a cooperation between the federal authority and the Brussels-Capital Region, aimed at the promotion of the image of Brussels as the Belgian and European capital. The Beliris Unit advises the regional government and sees to it that the initiatives upon which the regional and federal government have convened, are being carried out.

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The ERDF Department is led by director Evi Cornelis.

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