The initiative will cover regions in nine countries and aims to unlock financing, including an investment platform with the European Investment Bank, to deliver projects worth about €28 billion, EU Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin said. Grzegorz Gorzelak, a professor of regional economics at Warsaw University, said the support is expected to be long-lasting but not immediate. The Commission also says additional funding for regions bordering Russia and Belarus is included in its post-2027 budget proposal, with talks on the next EU budget due to wrap up later this year.