[FR] The Barca Report: A Spring Clean for Europe’s Cohesion Policy

Fabrizio Barca, Director General at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, has just published the report on cohesion policy reform requested by Commissioner Danuta Hubner. After consulting and mobilising numerous experts, he has produced a politically ambitious and dense document, which goes into great technical detail.
It is not always easy to read, as it does not follow a traditional funnel structure, but rather moves back and forth between economic theory, political vision and practical arrangements. As a result, the executive summary presenting the 10 pillars of the proposed governance reform is misleading. The added value of this report lies in its point-by-point discussion of what makes cohesion policy exemplary and should be preserved and deepened, and of the abuses and misinterpretations that should be eliminated or corrected. Barca adopts a fairly neutral stance on the issues – minor adjustments or the budget – that have fuelled most of the disputes in recent years, so as to focus more clearly on proposals aimed at restoring cohesion policy to its key role in the dynamics of European integration.