Welcome to the European Parliamentary Research Service podcasts.

In this podcast, we'll delve into the emerging debate on the future of EU cohesion policy after 2027 and see what the different stakeholders have to say about it.

Stay with us.

Throughout the years, the EU's cohesion policy has helped close the gaps between countries and between different regions in the same country, ensuring that all citizens get the same

opportunities regardless of where they live.

But cohesion policy is expected to change fundamentally in the coming years and the debate

is already alive and kicking.

Yes it is, giving regional and local stakeholders a unique opportunity to influence the national

positions and that of the European institutions early on.

So what's the debate about?

Well, key issues include, for example, the degree to which other EU policies support

cohesion objectives, the balance between the policies use in crises and its focus on longer-term

goals, the future governance for the policy, as well as how it can be

made more effective and the potential impact of a future wave of EU enlargement.

It is a highly political debate because it touches on many of the challenges the EU is

facing, such as the triple refugee, energy and cost of living crises. But it's also about the resilience

of European cities and regions, the remaining disparities between them, climate change, the

rural urban divide, digital connectivity or what's known as the geography of discontent.

Which refers to the development traps that have led to less support for

the European project. But another key challenge is to determine how cohesion policy and the

recovery and resilience facility, set up to promote economic recovery after the pandemic,

will work together after 2027 in a way that creates synergies and avoids overlaps.

...