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.

at least 500 workers being made redundant or self-employed persons' activity ceasing, over a reference period of nine months, particularly in SMEs, all operating in the same economic sector defined at NACE Revision 2 division level and located in one region or two contiguous regions defined at NUTS 2 level, or in more than two contiguous regions defined at NUTS 2 level provided that there are more than 500 workers or self-employed persons affected in two of the regions combined.

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;

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;

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