The currently proposed strategic guidelines differ little from those presented by the Commission in July 2005. The three priorities are the same:

A fourth priority focusing on enhancing the urban dimension is not included. This was the explicit wish of European cities. To meet the cities halfway, the chapter on partnership and the contribution of cities and regions to growth and jobs is extended compared with the initial version. In addition, a separate Communication on "cohesion policy and cities" will be adopted by the Commission alongside the strategic guidelines (the initial version of this Communication was presented in December 2005). However, it will be the member states´ responsibility to involve their cities in drafting the operational programmes.

The guidelines identify the areas of intervention on which the member states should focus in preparing their operational programmes. Under the new rules, each state must now submit its own National Strategic Framework (NSF) to the Commission - based on EU guidelines - within five months. In reality, the majority of NSFs are practically completed.

When drafting operational programmes, member states are advised to take into account the priorities set in the guidelines: