Europe 2020 is an EU strategy based on three important priorities. They are closely connected and seek to help the EU and all the Member-States to reach high levels of productivity, employment and social cohesion. This strategy is mainly based on the creation of a smart, sustainable and inclusive European economy. Five different objectives were defined in order to reach those priorities, which are to be accomplished until 2020 by all Member-States. These objectives are connected to employment, innovation, education, social inclusion and climate change/energy.
This European strategy aims not only to make the EU overcome the economic crisis, but also to tackle the main deficiencies in European growth, so that a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth is attained. The Horizon 2020 programme will be one of the funding instruments that will mostly boost European growth in regards to research and development.
Portugal 2020 is a strategy that is rooted in the main principles of Europe 2020. Portugal will receive about 25 billion € in order to reach the goals defined by the European strategy.
Portugal 2020 will be set up by 16 different programmes, plus territorial cooperation programmes, which Portugal will be part of along with other Member-States.
The implementation of Portugal 2020 is organized in four different domains:
Trans-domain issues such as the reform of public administration and territory interventions are also part of the programme. The Programa Operacional da Região Norte (Operational Programme of the Northern Region) 2014-2020 (NORTE 2020) is as a matter of fact one of the 16 operational programmes that are part of Portugal 2020.
NORTE 2020 is therefore a financial instrument which supports the regional development of Northern Portugal. The programme is managed by Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Norte – CDDR-N (Commission for the Coordination and Development of the Northern Region). This programme will receive the highest contribution out of all regional operational programmes, about 3.4 billion €, thus responding to the paradigm of the Cohesion Policy for Europe, where most of the funds for less competitive regions are channelled. Therefore it is expected that by 2020 the Portuguese Northern Region, enhanced by these funds, is capable of producing a high level of goods and services, in order to reach a growth and employment, thus leading to an economic, social and territorial cohesion.
These strategies encompass different European territorial cooperation programmes, in which Portugal may participate, along with other Member-States. The programmes are the following: