🚨 MFF: The What and How of Cohesion Policy 🇪🇺💶 As the EU prepares its next long-term budget (MFF), the future of Cohesion Policy is at a crossroads. What’s at stake? 👇 A short thread 🧵

📅 On July 16, the European Commission will propose the new MFF. It's not just about how much money the EU will spend—but where it goes, and what kind of Europe it builds. Cohesion Policy, the second-biggest budget line, could be redefined. Or downgraded.

📉 With growing pressure from defence, tech, and competitiveness agendas, Cohesion funding is likely to shrink in relative terms—maybe even absolutely. Whether the budget grows or not, regions may lose ground.

The current debate? It’s focused more on the how than the what. ✅ Yes, we need better delivery. ❌ But we risk sidelining local voices, civil society, and subnational actors. The lessons from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) are mixed.

Cohesion Policy has had successes—but big gaps remain: Southern Italy, rural France, parts of Spain… still lagging. We must talk about why it didn’t work in these places. Ignoring failures ≠ progress.

💡 What’s needed? Reform + investment, bundled smartly. But conditionality is tricky: – Ties regions to national performance – Can backfire politically – Risks turning Brussels into a scapegoat It has to be done with care.

At its heart, Cohesion Policy is about what kind of EU we want: – Inclusive? – Regionally balanced? – Green and digital for everyone? Not just about money—but purpose.