Thijs Fikken is specialised in European spatial planning and regional economic development. In his work, he provides research and advice services for the European Commission and local authorities. Financing for cities and regions in the next programming period is one of the focal points of his activities. In addition, he frequently conducts evaluations of European programmes, such as the mid-term evaluation of the Interreg VA Flanders-Netherlands programme, mid-term and ex-ante evaluations of the Common Agricultural Programme, and evaluations of ERDF and ESF programmes in the Netherlands.