EU Cohesion Policy Governance in the Covid-19 Era

The paper deals with the evolution of governance in EU cohesion policy. It is marked by the shift from the soft towards the hard modes. The shift is examined through inter-institutional dynamics at EU level during the bargaining and implementation phases among the key institutional actors (Commission, Council, and Parliament). The paper employs a historical institutionalism (HI) perspective to provide rational for the shift in 2013 and the continuation of hard modes post 2020. Explanatory power of HI's key categories, critical junctures and path dependence are instrumental in understanding the evolving EU cohesion policy governance. HI shows that crises, financial and economic and the pandemic COVID-19 are the major drivers behind the shift and continuation/intensification of hard modes. The paper shows that building of EU cohesion policy governance is shaped by the preferences of the key institutional actors which are context dependent varying in bargaining and later in implementation. The principal objective of the paper is to show evolving governance in cohesion policy, as a specific policy making response to the crises. More broadly, the case study takes part in forming our understanding of EU integration processes.