What Future Awaits Cohesion Policy?

More than 6,000 political, business, academic and cultural leaders from over 50 countries are expected at the 35th Economic Forum in Karpacz, which begins on September 8. The event is described as the largest international conference in the region of Europe.

The forum will address the future of EU cohesion policy as negotiations over the bloc’s 2028-2034 budget enter a key phase. The current proposal would integrate cohesion funds with other instruments through national and regional partnership plans.

That approach raises a central question for the panel titled “The Fate of Cohesion Policy: Centralization or Multilevel Governance?” Would centralized management and stronger conditions make funding more efficient, or could they weaken its ability to support development?

Filip Szatanik, a spokesperson for Poland’s State Water Holding Polish Waters, will moderate the discussion. Participants are expected to include representatives of regional development institutions and provincial authorities in Łódź, Podlaskie, Lubusz and Małopolska, as well as Andrea Gallo, director of Fasi.eu in Italy.

The forum will open with the presentation of the 2026 SGH and Economic Forum Report, described as a comprehensive study of economic conditions in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe. Since 2020, the report has presented socioeconomic challenges, research findings and recommendations for government and local-government decision-makers. The forum will run from September 8 to 10, 2026.