20.12.2013 Official Journal of the European Union L 347289 REGULATION (EU) No 1301/2013 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 17 December 2013 on the European Regional Development Fund and on specific provisions concerning the Investment for growth and jobs goal and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1080/2006 THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Articles 178 and 349 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments, Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (3), Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, Whereas: (1) Article 176 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) provides that the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is intended to help to redress the main regional imbalances in the Union. Under that Article and the second and third paragraphs of Article 174 TFEU, the ERDF is to contribute to reducing disparities between the levels of development of the various regions and to reducing the backwardness of the least favoured regions, among which particular attention is to be paid to regions which suffer from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps such as the northernmost regions with very low population density and island, cross-border and mountain regions. (2)  Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (%) sets out the provisions () OJ C 191, 29.6.2012, p. 44. (3) O] C 225, 27.7.2012, p. 114. (®) Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Devel- opment Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 (See page 320 of this Official Journal). common to the ERDF, the European Social Fund (ESF), the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. (3)  Specific provisions concerning the type of activities which can be supported by the ERDF, in order to contribute to the investment priorities within the thematic objectives set out in Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013, should be laid down. At the same time, activities outside the scope of the ERDF should be defined and clarified, including investment to achieve the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from activities listed in Annex I to Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (*). In order to avoid excessive financing, such investment should not be eligible for support from the ERDF as it already benefits financially from the application of Directive 2003/87 [EC. That exclusion should not restrict the possibility of using the ERDF to support activities that are not listed in Annex [ to Directive 2003/87EC even if those activities are implemented by the same economic operators, and include activities such as energy efficiency investments in district heating networks, smart energy distribution, storage and transmission systems and measures aimed at reducing air pollution, even if one of the indirect effects of such activities is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, or if they are listed in the national plan referred to in Directive 2003/87/EC. (4) Tt is necessary to specify what additional activities can be supported by the ERDF under the European territorial cooperation goal. (5)  The ERDF should contribute to the Union strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, thus ensuring greater concentration of ERDF support on the priorities of the Union. Depending on which category of regions is supported, the support from the ERDF under the Investment for growth and jobs goal should be concen- trated on research and innovation, information and communication technologies (ICT), small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) and promoting a low-carbon economy. That thematic concentration should be attained at national level while allowing for flexibility at the level of operational programmes and between different categories of regions. The thematic concen- tration should be adjusted, where appropriate, to take (*) Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 2003 establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community and amending Council Directive 96/61/EC (O] L 275, 25.10.2003, p. 32).