Will the new EU budget turn cohesion policy into regional ‘Hunger Games’?

euronews (in English)

Will the new EU budget turn cohesion policy into regional ‘Hunger Games’?  The EU’s proposed 2028–2034 budget risks turning the bloc's cohesion policy into a high-stakes competition for funding by merging it with other major spending areas, sparking concerns over reduced local control and lack of support for disadvantaged regions.  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/07/18/will-the-new-eu-budget-turn-cohesion-policy-into-regional-hunger-games  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00Will the new EU long-term budget turn cohesion policy into a regional hunger games?

00:08For decades cohesion funds have helped reduce regional disparities across the EU,

00:13supporting projects from modern roads to hospital upgrading and job training.

00:18But a major shift is around the corner.

00:21Under the proposed EU long-term budget cohesion policy would be merged into a single mega-fund,

00:27combined with other spending priorities.

00:30Many warned that this budget simplification could lead to fierce competition for resources,

00:35raising alarm bells among regional leaders.

00:38This is what's happening with putting agriculture, migration, border control, cohesion policy

00:48into one bag, one container.

00:52It would turn it to a hunger games, turning against the farmers, to the mayors, cities,

01:00turning against housing, unemployment and agricultural subsidies.

01:06Of the total EU budget of 2 trillion for the 2028-2034 period,

01:12865 billion will be earmarked for the single mega-fund that will merge other spending lines,

01:19including the EU's agriculture and fisheries subsidies, cohesion policy and the European Social Fund,

01:25which supports employment and education across the EU.

01:29Beyond the funding race, the new delivery model for these funds is seen as a move away

01:33from the EU's long-standing approach of shared management with local authorities.

01:38It's a clear centralization, it's a clear top-down model, instead of being an active part of designing and implementing the policies.

01:48So we will be kicked out from the design part, from the management part, from the creation part,

01:56and we will be just implementers fighting for money and putting farmers against cities and regions.

02:05With many details of the proposal still unclear, the coming months will be crucial.

02:10Local governments are calling for greater involvement and everything before the final EU budget is locked in.

02:17zero

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