The map of inequalities

El Conf (1000 x 563 px)

Among the various policies put in place by the European Union, the cohesion policy is definitely one of the most successful. In the last decades, it managed to reduce the economic and social disparities between Member States, especially after the ‘Big bang’ enlargement of 2004.

Nonetheless, when looking at the data, it emerges clearly that the gaps at the regional level are becoming wider, instead of shrinking. As a result, those areas that are lagging behind compared to others, are much more prone to a sense of abandonment. An EDJNet investigation led by El Confidencial looked into the possible consequences of this discrepancy, with a focus on the likelihood to vote for far-right, Eurosceptic parties.

Main findings:

  • Many rural areas and medium-sized cities all across the EU are victims of the development trap, a condition in which a region stops advancing compared to its own past, the rest of the country, and the whole of Europe.
  • Regions stuck in stagnation are often characterized by a deterioration of basic services and a lack of job opportunities. These two elements, combined, fuels social frustration and strengthens Eurosceptic parties.
  • This condition is shared by regions located in all sides of the EU, going beyond the traditional north-south or east-west divisions. At all latitudes, the lack of opportunities has severely negative impacts on the most vulnerable groups, whose possibilities for development are strongly limited.
  • Experts agree that the development trap can easily be regarded as the strongest driver behind growing support for Eurosceptic parties. In the last years, Eurosceptic parties went from being a minority in parliaments to gain considerable electoral support, both at the national and European levels.
  • The possible enlargement to 36 members would definitely require cohesion policy to be massively reformed. If less developed and border regions would remain at the margins of cohesion policy, the EU could fragment into a “three-speed” space. As a result, economic cohesion would be at stake, and Euroscepticism could threaten the unity of the EU.

Stories

The data unit

José Ramón Pérez (El Confidencial),
is a journalist specialized in data analysis and visualization. He worked for major digital media outlets, producing reports on key current issues through data journalism, graphic design, and innovative storytelling.

EDJNet members which took part in this investigation:

Media uptakes

From EDJNet members: