EU Cohesion policy: Commission announces the winners of the REGIOSTARS Awards 2021

This year's REGIOSTARS competition received a record 214 applications and 14,156 people voted in the public choice's category.

Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, commented: “My warm congratulations to the 10 winners of the EU Cohesion policy projects of 2021. They are role models for everyone who wishes to better the life of people with the use of EU funds. I hope they will inspire many others across the continent. For sure, with REGIOSTARS we have learnt that excellence and innovation are everywhere in Europe. You just need to look for them and highlight them as they deserve. We will keep looking for them and we will keep supporting them.”

The awards cover five categories and a public choice prize:

• For ‘SMART Europe: Increasing the competitiveness of local businesses in a digital world' (1^st category) the award went to Integration 3D metal printing from Belgium. The project supports the implementation of the 3D metal printing technology in small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) through a very innovative integrated approach to knowledge and technology. The idea is easily transferable to other contexts with industrial tradition.
• For ‘GREEN Europe: Green and resilient communities in urban and rural setting' (2^nd category) the award was given to ICCARUS (Gent knapt op) for providing a unique housing renovation financial scheme for 100 vulnerable homeowners in Ghent, Belgium. This project has a strong social component and is easily transferable, both to other places, including to less developed regions, and other sector.
• The award for ‘FAIR Europe: Fostering inclusion and anti-discrimination' (3^rd category) went to TREE - Training for integrating Refugees in the Euregion, which facilitates the integration of refugees through the development of a needs-based training programme for practitioners working with refugees and migrants, and a qualification programme for social interpreters. The winners are from the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium.
• Travelling Solidary Cannery received the award in the 4^th category, ‘URBAN Europe: Promoting green, sustainable and circular food systems in functional urban areas'. The project provides the disadvantaged access to healthy and fair food at affordable prices all year round. At the same time, it develops a new range of professions centred on the production, valorisation, logistics and marketing of local products, but also of unsold products from supermarkets or surplus harvests. The winner is from Belgium.
• Under the topic of the year: ‘Enhancing green mobility in the regions - European Year of Rail 2021' (5^th category) the winner is North-West Multimodal Transport Hub from the United Kingdom and Ireland. This project provides an increased rail capacity, a strong balance of services for cycling, public transport and active travel users in Londonderry and an encouraging modal shift from car to public transport.
• Finally, the ‘Public Choice Award' goes to BEGIN, a project that unites cities, citizens, and stakeholders through the co-creation of blue and green infrastructure projects in 10 cities in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Belgium, Norway and Germany. The project aims at reducing flood risk by up to 30% and improving livability. Other public favorites were Balkan Road (under the 1^st category), Baltazar (3^rd category), Digital Farming Specialist (4^th category) and Transporte A Pedido (5^th category).

Background

The REGIOSTARS Awards are the yearly competition organised by the Commission since 2008: it has become Europe's label of excellence for EU-funded projects under Cohesion policy that demonstrate innovative and inclusive approaches to regional development.

Each year, hundreds of projects compete in five categories: ‘Smart Europe', ‘Green Europe', ‘Fair Europe', ‘Urban Europe', and the topic of the year. The public can participate by voting for their favourite project among all finalists for the public choice award.

By bringing about solutions to common challenges and tapping into the biggest opportunities, the REGIOSTARS have inspired regions to deliver evermore-impactful EU Cohesion policy.

For More information

REGIOSTARS Awards

REGIOSTARS 2021 Finalists