Cohesion and the EU Budget: Is Conditionality Undermining Solidarity?

This chapter charts the evolving relationship between the EU budget, Cohesion Policy and conditionality and assesses the implications for the effectiveness and legitimacy of Cohesion Policy. It begins with an overview of the history of EU budget and Cohesion Policy reform before describing the institutional decision-making framework. The rise of conditionality in Cohesion Policy is then reviewed. The next section explains why conditionality has gained an important role in Cohesion Policy and assesses the implications for Cohesion Policy effectiveness and legitimacy. A final section draws together the key conclusions and implications.