3. For the purposes of this Regulation, a regional natural disaster resulting in direct damage in excess of 1 % of the region's gross domestic product (GDP) in a region at NUTS 2 level, or in several neighbouring NUTS 3 level regions that together constitute a territory corresponding to the minimum criteria for NUTS 2 level, of a Member State or a country involved in accession negotiations with the Union; Where the disaster concerns several regions that may request assistance from the Fund at NUTS 2 level, or at NUTS 3 level when they constitute a territory equivalent to a NUTS 2 unit, the threshold shall be applied to the weighted aver ...[+++]age GDP of those regions.

32. Considers that the problem of intra-regional disparities within NUTS II regions can be better observed at the NUTS III level; calls on the Commission, therefore, to examine the extent to which the problem of the internal disparities within NUTS II areas can be countered in the future by also defining assisted areas at the NUTS III level; stresses, in the context of territorial cohesion, the importance for the Member States to determine which territorial unit corresponds to the appropriate level of intervention during the designing and implementation of Structural Funds programmes; recommends, for this purpose, a spatial analysis o ...[+++]f the entire EU territory at the beginning of each programming period;

32. Considers that the problem of intra-regional disparities within NUTS II regions can be better observed at the NUTS III level; calls on the Commission, therefore, to examine the extent to which the problem of the internal disparities within NUTS II areas can be countered in the future by also defining assisted areas at the NUTS III level; stresses, in the context of territorial cohesion, the importance for the Member States to determine which territorial unit corresponds to the appropriate level of intervention during the designing and implementation of Structural Funds programmes; recommends, for this purpose, a spatial analysis o ...[+++]f the entire EU territory at the beginning of each programming period;

(f) “regional” means at NUTS level 1, NUTS level 2 and NUTS level 3, as defined in the classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS), established by Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council in its version valid at the reference date;

(f) “regional” means at NUTS level 1, NUTS level 2 and NUTS level 3, as defined in the classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS), established by Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council in its version valid at the reference date, as well as the level 2 of Local Administrative Units (LAU level 2);

It subdivides each Member State into NUTS level 1 territorial units, each of which is subdivided into NUTS level 2 territorial units, these in turn each being subdivided into NUTS level 3 territorial units.