Certified expenditure from the ERDF and Cohesion Fund for Spain, by NUTS 2 region, programming axis and thematic area, 1989–2020 (ERDF_CF_Spain_NUTS2_1989_2020)

This dataset compiles certified information on expenditure from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF) in Spain, covering six programming periods from 1989 to 2020. A script has been created in RStudio to perform the necessary transformations to generate the results, where the data is broken down by autonomous community (CCAA / NUTS 2 region), year of implementation, programming axis (Eje) and thematic area (Area). All monetary values are expressed in thousands of euros at constant 2000 prices (Gasto_m_eur00) and 2020 prices (Gasto_m_eur2020), using the Spanish CPI (INE) as the deflator. Prerequisites 📋 R (version 4.0 or later) RStudio Required packages (dplyr, tidyr, readr, stringr, lubridate, ggplot2) Data Sources 📊 Keywords European Structural Funds; ERDF; Cohesion Fund; Spain; Regional Policy; EU cohesion policy; regional development; certified expenditure; programming periods; Autonomous Communities; NUTS2; panel data; constant prices; Fondos Estructurales; FEDER; Fondo de Cohesion; España; Política Regional Geographical scope Geographical scope: Spain – 17 Spanish regions or Autonomous Communities (CCAA) + national/multi-regional programmes Approximate coordinates: Iberian Peninsula: Latitude : 36° 00' 0.3" N to 43° 47' 28.6" N Longitude: 9° 17' 46" W to 3° 19' 05" E Balearic Islands: Latitude : 38° 40' 30" N to 40° 05' 48" N Longitude: 1° 12' 47" E to 4° 19' 29" E Canary Islands: Latitude : 27° 37' 50" N to 29° 25' 06" N Longitude: 18° 09' 38" W to 13° 19' 35" W Time periods: The data sources used to compile this dataset are public institutional sources: Period 1989–2006: Annual Reports of the Directorate-General for Community Funds (DGFC), Ministry of Finance, Spain. Available at: https://www.fondoseuropeos.hacienda.gob.es/sitios/dgfc/es-ES/ei/er/paginas/iadgfe.aspx Period 2007–2020: EU Cohesion Open Data Platform, European Commission. Available at: https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/ Additional data: EUROSTAT, table [ert_bil_conv_a] — Annual ECU/EUR exchange rates. Available at: ert_bil_conv_a INE/IPC Spain, year-on-year rates (December), base 2000. Available at: https://ine.es/ Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS): EUROSTAT What does this database provide? 📌 It is the only public dataset that provides a continuous longitudinal series with simultaneous breakdowns by: (1) all periods since 1989, (2) the 17 Spanish autonomous communities, (3) programming axis and harmonised thematic area. Coverage 1989–2006: the EU platform only covers the period from 2007 onwards. This database covers the first three financial frameworks (1989–2006), with data sourced from the DGFC Annual Reports, which are difficult to access. A single longitudinal table: allows for the analysis of regional convergence without having to combine six different sources. Breakdown by programming axis: for the entire period, not just by thematic objective. Breakdown by autonomous community: from 1989, standardising the 17 autonomous communities over 32 years. Series in constant euros (2000 and 2020): the platform only provides current values. Custom thematic classification: standardised into 7 comparable areas across all periods. Reproducibility: complete R script documenting all transformations performed. Open data: available under an open licence for use in research and public policy. Thematic classification into 7 areas: For 1989-2006: direct correspondence table (axis name -> thematic area) For 2007-2020: thematic area codes sourced directly from EU Open Data The 7 thematic areas are: 1 = Infraestructuras Transport infrastructure (roads, railways, ports, airports, others) 2 = Actividades productivas Productive activities (business support, industrial R&D) 3 = Desarrollo local y urbano Local and urban development (urban regeneration, social services) 4 = Energia y medio ambiente Energy and environment (renewable energy, waste management, water) 5 = Conocimiento Knowledge economy (research, technological development, innovation) 6 = Comunicaciones y digitalizacion Telecommunications and ICT (broadband, digital infrastructure) 7 = Asistencia tecnica Technical assistance (management, monitoring, evaluation of funds) Publications that cite or use this dataset: 📝 Faina, A., Lopez-Rodriguez, J., & Montes-Solla, P. (2020). European Union regional policy and development in Spain: capital widening and productivity stagnation over 1989–2010. Regional Studies, 54(1), 106–119. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2018.1542127 Acknowledgments 🎁 Institutional acknowledgements: The Spanish Ministry of Finance for providing access to the annual reports The European Commission for the Cohesion Open Data Platform The National Statistics Institute (INE) for the CPI data The autonomous communities for their collaboration in the implementation of the funds Funding: There is no specific project funding, but this work has been made possible thanks to internal support from the GCD research group [https://gcd.udc.es] (S.U.G. reference group)