BRIEFAugust 4, 2025

Catching-up Regions Initiative (CuRI)

Poland-Slovakia-Baltics

Catching-up Regions Initiative (CuRI) – a multi-sectoral advisory program for regional and local development with a focus on bottom-up identification of interventions and capacity building delivered through a design-test-scale-up approach

Background / Beginning of CuRI

The European Union’s Cohesion Policy aims to reduce regional disparities and promote balanced development across all member states. During the 2014–2020 programming period, approximately €461 billion from the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) was allocated to support regions in becoming more competitive and resilient. This commitment continues in the 2021–2027 programming period, with around €392 billion dedicated to Cohesion Policy objectives.

Despite this major investment, not all regions were able to benefit equally. The 2008–2009 financial crisis, together with long-standing structural challenges, limited the ability of some areas to absorb EU funding effectively and close the development gap with more prosperous parts of the Union.

In response, the European Commission in 2016 launched the Catching-Up Regions Initiative (CuRI). The initiative was designed to provide targeted, hands-on support to less-developed regions, using a practical, problem-solving approach with a focusing on tangible effects and investments. Working directly with local stakeholders, CuRI helps identify development bottlenecks and supports solutions tailored to regional needs.

CuRI was first piloted in Romania and Poland in 2016. In Poland, the initiative was undertaken with the World Bank as a partner, while in Romania it was the Joint Research Center of the European Commission that has coordinated the activities. Its success led to further expansion — to Slovakia in 2018, and then to the Baltic States in 2024, with the aim to support economically disadvantaged border regions. 

Why the World Bank?

The European Commission chose the World Bank as a technical partner due to its deep operational experience, global development knowledge, and ability to bring diverse stakeholders together. The World Bank’s role was not only to provide expertise, but also to serve as an honest broker and coordinator in a multi-stakeholder and multi-level governance environment.

This collaboration is part of a broader, long-standing partnership between the two institutions. For the World Bank, the European Commission offers valuable lessons on how to design and implement development programs that help countries maintain their sustainable socio-economic growth. In fact, the Bank often refers to the EU as the “Convergence Machine” because of its success in helping countries move from middle- to high-income status. 

Defining the Scope

From the start, CuRI was built around close cooperation with subnational and national actors. Participating regional and local authorities were in a driving seat when it comes to defining focus areas of the initiative to ensure local relevance and ownership. Through a series of meetings with key stakeholders (subnational, national, EC and WB), the teams worked together to identify high-impact, realistic actions that could be implemented within a short timeframe, usually one-year. This collaborative approach laid the foundation for targeted and meaningful interventions.

How the Initiative Was Implemented

CuRI stands out for its practical, cross-sectoral, and field-based structure. It brought together experts in such areas as spatial planning, transport, education, energy efficiency, entrepreneurship, innovation, health, social inclusion to work directly with regional and local partners. Given the initiative’s wide scope, strong technical and administrative coordination was essential. The World Bank established a dedicated core team to ensure smooth delivery, manage communications, and provide support across all components.

Each CuRI component dedicated to a specific area of work was led by a World Bank technical staff and supported by a team of local and international experts. These teams maintained regular contact with stakeholders on the ground - often weekly or biweekly - to provide hands-on support, maintain momentum and timely tackle emerging challenges. Thanks to this intense communication plans were translated in results within short annual cycles. 

Progress was reviewed regularly through bimonthly or quarterly Steering Committee meetings chaired by EC representatives. These meetings provided a space for all stakeholders to review achievements, address challenges, agree on next steps, and adjust activities as needed. This rhythm of coordination helped keep the initiative on track and avoided delays that often arise in complex, multi-actor projects.

What Made CuRI Work?

Several factors contributed to the success of CuRI. First and foremost was the strong involvement of regional and local stakeholders. Their engagement throughout the process—from defining priorities to implementing actions ensured the initiative was grounded in real needs and had local support.

Another key factor was alignment with existing regional and national strategies. Rather than creating parallel efforts, CuRI interventions were designed to complement ongoing programs and strengthen what was already in motion.

Although CuRI activities were limited in duration, they served as a launchpad for additional investments. Many of the project’s recommendations helped regions unlock new EU and national funding, extending the impact of the initiative beyond its initial scope.

The European Commission played an active role throughout — not only financing the initiative but also guiding its progress and mediating when needed. Its close involvement helped maintain momentum and accountability.

Coordination on the ground was equally important. The presence of committed local teams ensured that activities moved forward efficiently across sectors and institutions. Combined with the World Bank’s technical expertise and its neutral, solution-oriented approach, this model allowed CuRI to deliver tangible results in a short timeframe.

Finally, CuRI was designed to be ambitious yet realistic. Each activity focused on a clearly defined goal that could be achieved within the available time and resources. This focus on practical outcomes over theoretical recommendations set CuRI apart and proved essential to its success.