As the European Commission prepares to unveil its budget proposal for 2028–2034, tensions are rising within the EU over plans to overhaul how funds are managed and distributed, reported by Euro News. Fourteen member states have joined forces, opposing a centralization move they warn could undermine regional development and the bloc’s cohesion goals.
A recently surfaced non-paper, endorsed by Bulgaria, Czechia, Greece, Spain, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, and Slovakia, demands a “stand-alone Cohesion Policy” to safeguard a distinct budget dedicated to reducing economic disparities across Europe’s diverse regions.
The document makes a clear case against the Commission’s idea to consolidate roughly 530 funding programs into a single national pot. Instead, these countries argue, only a “region-based allocation methodology” can truly foster unity, competitiveness, and convergence within the EU.
This pushback comes amid broader unease about the Commission’s plan to tie fund disbursement to the fulfillment of policy objectives, potentially empowering national governments and Brussels at the expense of regional authorities and other Commission departments.
Poland and the Socialists & Democrats (S&D) group in the European Parliament have voiced similar concerns. S&D’s letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphatically rejects the notion of “one national plan per member state” and warns against “payments against reforms” conditions. They also call for a more ambitious long-term budget—one exceeding the current cap of about 1% of the EU’s GDP, roughly €1.2 trillion.
Poland, the largest beneficiary of cohesion funds, insists the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) maintain or increase funding levels for cohesion and agriculture, which together consume over two-thirds of the current EU budget. The country’s position paper underscores that “competitiveness and cohesion are the two sides of the same coin,” urging that regional interests remain central.
As July 16 approaches—the day the Commission’s proposal is due—the debate over Europe’s financial future is intensifying, spotlighting the challenge of balancing unity with diversity across the bloc.
