This Program is part of the European objective of territorial cooperation, better known as Interreg. This objective is part of the most important financial tool of the European regional policy: the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

 The regions of south-western Europe share common problems such as under-investment in research and development, poor competitiveness of small and medium enterprises, and exposure to climate change and environmental risks. The European Union considers that the most efficient way to find solutions to these issues is to work together and join efforts so as to overcome national barriers that enable the sharing good practices.

The European tool to promote this common search for solutions is the Interreg Sudoe Program, whose full name is the Interreg V-B Europe South-West Cooperation Program. The Program finances, between 2014 and 2020, projects formed by alliances of entities from different regions and countries of south-western Europe, and among them, the SustForest Plus project.