Reimagining cohesion and EU policies: A sectoral approach

January 2025

The EU has long sought to balance economic, social, and territorial cohesion with its goals of global competitiveness and innovation. However, this balance is increasingly challenged as the EU navigates shifting priorities in a rapidly changing world. In this context the report ‘The future of EU cohesion: Scenarios and their impacts on regional inequalities (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)’ commissioned by the European Parliament explores different scenarios.

In a previous blog post (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), we focused on the integrated approach scenario. In contrast, this blog post focuses on a scenario for a sectoral approach, in which EU policies operate in isolation, prioritising growth and competitiveness over cohesion.