The Directorate General for Regional Policy of the European Commission has published several studies that assess how the ERDF has boosted transport networks and environmental initiatives in Europe.

Between 2000 and 2006 over one third of the EU budget was invested through cohesion policy and its three funds – the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Cohesion Fund.

Focused on the ERDF, the Directorate General for Regional Policy has carried out a series of ex post evaluations on different aspects of the policy, including the transport and environment sectors. These two reports are now available.

Key findings show that over the period, €34 billion was invested on transport, supporting the construction of 2,000 km of motorway and 4,000 km of rail. This accounted for 24% of all motorway development in the EU, and 13% of all high speed rail construction.

As for environment, the report states that over 20 million inhabitants were served by waste water projects with an additional 14 million inhabitants connected to water supply.

Evaluating the impact of cohesion policy investment, learning what works and why it works, is a crucial factor for the success of the policy. Both evaluations raise critical issues and give recommendations on how Europe's cohesion policy can deliver better results in the future. A synthesis report, covering all thematic investment sectors, will be published in April 2010.