Community Strategic Guidelines 2007-2013 for the cohesion policy in support of growth and jobs

The Community Strategic Guidelines sketched out in this Communication have the following main characteristics:

• The financial instruments at the disposal of Cohesion policy are the Structural Funds (the ERDF and the ESF) and the Cohesion Fund.
• The key objective is to identify Community priorities for support under cohesion policy with a view to strengthening synergies with, and helping to deliver, the Lisbon strategy as defined by the integrated guidelines for growth and jobs;
• They concern only the part of national and regional investments co-financed by the Structural Funds and the Cohesion fund;
• They need to be read alongside the legislative proposals;
• They reflect discussion with the Member States and within the different Commission services.

Once adopted by the Council, the Guidelines will form the basis for preparing national strategic reference frameworks and the resulting operational programmes.