The negotiations over the EU’s next long-term budget for the 2028–2034 period are entering a new phase, with the Irish Presidency of the Council expected to deliver a new proposal in October that would bridge the diverging positions between the member states.

A sensitive issue remains the future of Cohesion Policy, traditionally devoted to the reduction of socio-economic disparities between European regions and fostering growth. In a context of competing priorities, the Commission’s proposal of July 2025 to proceed with a reconfiguration of cohesion policy into a single framework around National and Regional Partnership Plans as well as budgetary cuts for the next seven years has raised dissatisfaction among several actors, including regional administrations and local authorities in given member states. The central question remains whether the supposed “re-nationalisation” of the Union’s main funding instrument and budget cuts would negatively affect the countering of local disparities.

The webinar aims to examine whether proposals to make cohesion policy more flexible—enabling it to respond more quickly to emerging crises and evolving priorities across the Union—could weaken the role of regional and local governments and diminish cohesion policy’s contribution to reducing territorial disparities. Moreover, it seeks to raise awareness among journalists and media workers in South East Europe on the ongoing discussions on the future of cohesion policy.

Discussion panel:

Federico Baccini, Journalist and founder of the New Union Post

Raffaella Coletti, Researcher at CNR ISTeG

Pietro Reviglio, Policy and research advisor at Eurocities

Moderator:

Luisa Chiodi, Scientific director of CCI/OBCT

Register here.

This article was produced as part of the EuSEE project, co-funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the granting authority, and the European Union cannot be held responsible for them.