European Territorial Cooperation (ETC), better known as INTERREG, is one of the two goals of cohesion policy and provides a framework for the implementation of joint actions and policy exchanges between national, regional and local actors from different Member States. The overarching objective of European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) is to promote a harmonious economic, social and territorial development of the Union as a whole. Interreg is built around three strands of cooperation: cross-border (Interreg A), transnational (Interreg B) and interregional (Interreg C).

The 2014-2020 funding period is based on 11 investment priorities laid down in the ERDF Regulation contributing to the delivery of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. At least, 80% of the budget (a total of EUR 10.1 billion) for each cooperation programme has to concentrate on a maximum of 4 thematic objectives among the eleven EU priorities:
- Research and Innovation;
- Information and Communication Technologies;
- Competitiveness of SMEs;
- Low-carbon economy;
- Combating climate change;
- Environment and resource efficiency;
- Sustainable transport;
- Employment and mobility;
- Social inclusion;
- Better education, training;
- Better public administration