Advancing EU cohesion coverage across South-East Europe

ongoing

CohesionEUSEE focuses on the journalistic coverage of EU cohesion policy in South-East Europe, with particular emphasis on Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, and Romania. Despite being major recipients of cohesion funds, these countries often experience underreporting or misrepresentation of cohesion initiatives. The project aims to bridge this gap by providing in-depth, multi-perspective and multilingual journalistic coverage of regional policy. The consortium, comprising five media outlets with strong expertise on EU affairs, will offer comprehensive analyses combining local, national, and transnational perspectives. This will highlight shared challenges such as regional disparities, demographic shifts, and governance quality, allowing for comparisons of cohesion measures across multiple territories. Partners will assess current and past cohesion projects, identify factors limiting their success, and offer insights into how these challenges can be overcome. Journalistic coverage will focus on social development, environmental issues, youth opportunities, transport, urban challenges and cross-border collaboration, explaining how cohesion measures address these issues. A dedicated workstream (WP4) will ensure the engagement of various stakeholders in each country, including entrepreneurs interested in EU funding. The project will also cover the ongoing debate about the future of cohesion policy, especially with regard to the evolving Multiannual Financial Framework and EU enlargement, with a focus on how these issues affect South-East Europe. At least 273 editorial outputs will be produced, including articles, podcasts, videos, and social media content, targeting diverse audiences.Content will be shared across various platforms, including websites, newsletters, and social media. Field reporting and multilingual coverage will ensure a localized and broad-reaching understanding of the region’s cohesion measures, enhancing EU citizens’ engagement with the policy.