The future of cohesion policy in the aftermath of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF): towards inexorable centralization?

Abstract

The contribution, starting from an analysis of the analogies and differences between cohesion policy and the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), aims to highlight the influence exerted by the Next Generation EU model on the mid-term review – presented by the European Commission on 1 April 2025 – which clearly directs post-2027 cohesion policy towards greater centralization. Particular attention is devoted to the potential risks of this process: while, on the one hand, centralization could help accelerate and enhance the efficiency of the use of European funds, on the other, it may undermine the role of the Regions, thereby weakening and distorting the territorial embeddedness that constitutes a fundamental pillar of cohesion policy