New GDP figures leave Wales trailing Eastern Europe / Why Wales needs to ensure a better return on EU funds

Western Mail reported that worrying new GDP figures published in March 2012 show that most of Wales was now poorer than regions of Eastern Europe.

In 2009, figures for which were released in March 2012, West Wales and the Valleys had a GDP per head rating equivalent to just 68.4% of the EU average. This compares with a three-year average covering 2007-09 of 70.1%.

The drop had occurred despite billions of pounds of EU money being poured into the region since 2000.

Plaid Cymru: Press Release, 13.3.12: Drop in GDP highlights need to tackle systemic economic weaknesses - Plaid http://www.english.plaidcymru.org/news/2012/03/13/drop-in-gdp-highlights-need-to-tackle-systemic-economic-weaknesses-plaid/

WEFO: Programmes http://wefo.wales.gov.uk/programmes/?lang=en

Welsh Liberal Democrats: Press Release, 13.3.12: Labour need to learn lessons of European Funding Failure-Eluned Parrott AM http://welshlibdems.org.uk/en/article/2012/569891/labour-need-to-learn-lessons-of-european-funding-failure-eluned-parrott-am

Eurostat: News Release No.38, 2012: Regional GDP per capita in 2009: seven capital regions in the ten first places http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/products-press-releases/-/1-13032012-AP

Western Mail, 15.3.12: Why Wales needs to ensure a better return on EU funds http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business-in-wales/columnists/sion-barry/2012/03/15/why-wales-needs-to-ensure-a-better-return-on-eu-funds-91466-30537997/

BBC News, 13.10.11: EU billions fail to lift west Wales and valleys economy http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-15295224

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