The Assisted Areas of Great Britain are based upon a map drawn up and agreed with the European Commission in October 2006. The map was approved by the European Commission in December 2006 and will run from 2007 until 2013. Under new EU guidelines, the proportion of the UK population covered by Assisted Areas has been reduced from 30.9% in the period from 2000 to 2006, to 23.9%. This reduction is a result of recent EU enlargement and the success of the UK economy in recent years.