Welcome to Objective 2 programme Limburg, Flanders Belgium 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

1. Introduction The European Commission has decided to contribute actively to the development of Limburg by part-financing the Objective 2 programme for the 2000-2006 period. Structural Funds assistance will amount to EUR 92.7 million out of a total budget of EUR 240.4 million. 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

1.2 The map of the eligible area 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

1.3 Description of the eligible area The programme concerns the former mining area situated in the Hasselt district and the rural region of Haspengouw, in Tongeren. The two areas have 253 000 inhabitants out of a total of 784 000 in Limburg. The population is significantly younger than in Flanders as a whole and includes a high number of immigrants. 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

1.3 Description of the eligible area SMEs play a key role in the province, accounting for 69% of jobs in industry and services and over 90% in building and public works, the retail trade and the furniture industry. In contrast, the automotive industry, while quite large, is limited to a few big companies. Industry is heavily export-based, with 77% of turnover earned abroad. The automotive industry ranks first, followed by non-ferrous ores. 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

1.3 Description of the eligible area Limburg’s unemployment rate of 8% is slightly below the Belgian average, but well above the average for Flanders. In the areas eligible for Objective 2, the jobless rate is above average for the province at 11.3%. Unemployment among women runs twice as high as among men in Limburg. 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

1.4 Main regional indicators in EU and in Belgium, 1988-1998-9 Source: Second report on Economic and Social Cohesion, January 2001 Economy Labour market GDP/head Empl. rate%,1999 Unempl. rate% 1988 1998 Agri. Indust. Servi. 1989 1999 EU 15 100,0 100,0 4,5 29,2 66,0 8,4 9,4 Belgique 103,2 111,3 2,4 25,8 71,8 7,2 8,8 Bruxelles-Capital 162,3 168,8 0,2 13,4 86,4 9,2 14,0 Vlaams Gewest 104,4 115,1 2,5 28,0 69,5 5,5 5,6 Antwerpen 123,8 138,5 2,2 28,1 69,8 6,4 6,5 Limburg (B) 102,6 108,5 2,1 34,5 63,4 8,5 7,0 Oost-Vlaanderen 99,0 104,1 2,7 30,4 66,9 5,3 5,9 Vlaams-Brabant 81,4 96,1 1,5 20,7 77,8 4,0 3,9 West-Vlaanderen 103,9 116,2 3,8 27,5 68,7 3,9 4,6 Region Wallonie 83,4 87,9 2,8 24,7 72,5 9,9 13,3 Brabant-Wallon 75,5 86,8 2,0 24,0 74,1 5,8 8,8 Hainaut 77,0 79,2 2,6 27,3 70,2 11,9 16,6 Liège 94,9 98,6 2,4 23,9 73,7 10,1 12,8 Luxembourg (B) 85,3 95,0 6,8 24,7 68,5 6,1 7,3 Namur 80,4 85,7 3,0 20,3 76,7 9,2 12,6 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

2. Development strategy 2.1 Three priority areas: Encouraging initiatives of and in favor of business and employment; Optimizing the framework conditions (infrastructure, environment, accessibility); Integrated rural development of Haspengouw. The measures of the first two priorities apply to the entire program area, the third priority concerns only the rural area. 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

2. Development strategy 2.2 Expected program impact and specific objectives: Reduction of the unemployment difference between Limburg and Flanders: for male unemployment to 0%, for female unemployment to 50% Creation of 3,600 new jobs in the programming period Increase of employment in the tertiary sector with 5% Increase of export by SME with 5% Increase of the participation of companies in Limburg in ‘IWT’ funded research projects to 10% Increase of turnover in the tourism and catering sector with 10% Decrease of household and industrial waste production with 5% and 15%, respectively Decrease of number of people using car transport to go to work by 5% 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

3. Priorities, measures and expected impact Priority 1 : Initiatives in favor of the business sector and employment Measure 1.1 Support for SME Increasing competitiveness of SME Improving strategic decision making by SME, e.g. as concerns organization, quality management and export, e-business, environment care and marketing Improving access to risk capital Fostering female entrepreneurship Supporting networks of SME 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

3. Priorities, measures and expected impact Priority 1 : Initiatives in favor of the business sector and employment Measure 1.2: Technology and innovation Support for companies introducing ICT Support for research and development related to locally important sectors (the automotive cluster and fruit processing), in particular for subcontractors and suppliers Cooperation between research centers, knowledge transfer from research centers to local companies, extension of the science park Research and development in the area of waste management Cooperation between companies in the area of innovation and product development 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

3. Priorities, measures and expected impact Priority 1 : Initiatives in favor of the business sector and employment Measure 1.3: Training Training to favor entrepreneurship and to foster innovation In-company training to keep employees’ qualifications in line with changing company needs Training activities for the unemployed, geared towards qualifications where a local shortage can be demonstrated Specific training activities related to the valorization of culture and the cultural heritage Training in the use of multimedia 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

3. Priorities, measures and expected impact Priority 1 : Initiatives in favor of the business sector and employment Measure 1.4 Tourism: Actions to support diversification of supply Actions to improve marketing, quality management and a less seasonally determined supply and to foster local cooperation in these areas Public-private partnerships to realize larger projects with a leverage function Development and accessibility of nature, landscape and the cultural heritage, with specific attention for environment-friendly tourism 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

3. Priorities, measures and expected impact Priority 1 : Initiatives in favor of the business sector and employment Measure 1.5: Social economy: Creation of an information and counseling system for social economy businesses, notably to advise them on matters concerning financing, internal organization, marketing, quality management 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

3. Priorities, measures and expected impact Priority 2 : Optimizing the framework conditions : Measure 2.1:Improving the physical environment for employment: Improving the accessibility of industrial and business sites Infrastructure for high-tech start-ups in the Science park Reutilization and rehabilitation of the former mining sites and premises Infrastructure for professional training Infrastructure for child-care Extension of the infrastructure for cooperation between higher education institutions 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

3. Priorities, measures and expected impact Priority 2 : Optimizing the framework conditions : Measure 2.2:Environment and nature: Rehabilitation of polluted sites Creation and extension of environment-friendly tourism infrastructure Actions for the prevention of waste production and the recycling of waste Promoting energy-efficiency, e.g. via company energy audits and integrating energy performance in the construction industry Pilot projects in the area of renewable energy sources 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

3. Priorities, measures and expected impact Priority 3 : Integrated rural development in Haspengouw Measure 3.1:Economic diversification of Haspengouw: Promoting a competitive, high quality rural tourism product via increased accessibility, to use the specific attractive features of the landscape, the rich natural, historical and cultural heritage Promoting the diversification and multiple use of farms, e.g. in the direction of tourism and craft work 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

3. Priorities, measures and expected impact Priority 3 : Integrated rural development in Haspengouw Measure 3.2: Livability of rural centers: Support for village renovation, in particular maintenance of the cultural heritage in villages Maintaining and promoting the level and accessibility of service provision in rural centers, e.g. via flexible public transport 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

3. Priorities, measures and expected impact Priority 4 : Technical Assistance: Measure 4.1 TA – managing costs: Managing and monitoring expenses Measure 4.2 TA – other expenditure: Information and communication, external evaluation, studies, and hardware for electronic data exchange 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

4. Management and contact details The Ministry of the Flemish Community is the Managing Authority for the Objective 2 programme and is responsible for co-ordinating all those involved in implementing the programme and organising meetings of the Monitoring Committee. The programme Management Committee includes representatives of the Flemish Executive, the province, local authorities and the social partners. Provincie Limburg Europacel Coordinator programmasecretariaat Boesmans, Vera Universiteitslaan 1, B-3500 Hasselt Tel.: +32.11.237 111, Fax.: +33/11.237 011 E-mail.: vboesmans@limburg.be 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

4. Management and contact details Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap Departement Economie, Werkgelegenheid, Binnenlandse Aangelegenheden en Landbouw Administratie Economie - Afdeling Europa Economie Afdelingshoofd Van Haver, André Markiesgebouw - Markiesstraat 1 B-1000 Brussel Tel.: +32.2.5533864 Fax.: +32.2.5024702 E-mail.: andre.vanhaver@ewbl.vlaanderen.be Web: Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap Limburg - Doelstelling 2 programma 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

4. Management and contact details European Commission: Mr. Bernard De Cock Administrator, Flanders, Belgium DG Regio, Benelux, Austria CSM1, 6/ 67, Rue Péré de Deken 23 B-1049 Bruxelles Tel: +32-2-298 44 25, Fax: +32-2-296 64 71 e-mail Bernard.Decock@cec.eu.int 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

5. Financial an technical information Title : Objective 2 Programme for Limburg Intervention type : Single Programming Document CCI No. : 2000BE162DO002 No. of decision : C(2001)861 Final approval date : 15-MAY-01 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL

6. Financial breakdown Breakdown of Finances by priority area (in millions of €) Priority area Total EU Public aid cost cont. (EC+oth.) 1 Supporting business and employment 133.218 50.711 114.827 2 Optimising overall conditions 78.534 31.100 69.159 3 Integrated rural development of Haspengouw 23.200 8.120 22.204 4 Technical assistance 5.530 2.765 5.530 Total 240.482 92.696 211.720 Financial Breakdown by Funds (in millions of Euros) EU Contribution ERDF ESF Total : 92.696 82.070 10.626 100.00% 88.54% 11.46% 13/04/2019 DG REGIO/Unit D3/PL