Security & Geopolitics#4
China
Partner, competitor and systemic rival — all at once.
+2
Europe's public debates
The Agenda
62 issues shaping Europe's politics.
From Ukraine to pensions — the debates every European government and party is answering.
62 topics9 themes27 countries
2 topics
Regional cohesion & the urban–rural divide
The "places that don't matter" are voting back.
In short
Cohesion policy funds poorer regions, but the next EU budget proposes merging it into national plans. Regions that feel left behind — rural, industrial or depopulating — are strongholds of discontent.
Why it matters now
Budget reform threatens regional money while regional inequality fuels populism.
The divide
Regions and cohesion countries
keep a strong regional policy
Centralisers
national plans tied to reforms
Net payers
reduce transfers.