Forging a sustainable future together: Cohesion Policy at its defining moment

Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés ORCID: 0000-0002-8041-0856 (2025) Forging a sustainable future together: Cohesion Policy at its defining moment. Regional Studies. ISSN 0034-3404 (In Press)

Text (Regional Studies 2025 revised final with author) - Accepted Version Pending embargo until 1 January 2100. Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (570kB)

Abstract

This paper outlines a renewed vision for the EU’s Cohesion Policy amid the growing political uncertainty threatening its very viability. Drawing on the High-Level Group on the Future of Cohesion Policy’s findings, it advocates for a more dynamic, systemic approach emphasising institutional capacity, territorial sensitivity, global links, and performance-based delivery. These are areas where past reforms have underdelivered. It warns against marginalising cohesion in favour of top-down, centralised strategies, arguing it is more than a funding tool. Cohesion Policy is the EU’s most democratic mechanism, fostering trust, participation, and unity. Revitalising it is essential for competitiveness, resilience, and the very future of Europe.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2025 The Author(s)
Divisions:	Geography and Environment
Subjects:	J Political Science G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
JEL classification:	R - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics > R5 - Regional Government Analysis > R58 - Regional Development Policy R - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics > R1 - General Regional Economics > R11 - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, and Changes O - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development > O18 - Regional, Urban, and Rural Analyses D - Microeconomics > D7 - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making > D72 - Economic Models of Political Processes: Rent-Seeking, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
Date Deposited:	21 Aug 2025 13:18
Last Modified:	21 Aug 2025 13:30
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/129229

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