A professor at the University of Manchester, Nuno Palma, is challenging the conventional wisdom surrounding European Union regional development funds. He argues these funds, intended to stimulate growth in poorer regions, may inadvertently perpetuate poverty. Palma suggests that eliminating these funds could, counterintuitively, be a beneficial step. His reasoning centers on the idea that continued reliance on external funding hinders the development of self-sustaining economic structures within those regions. The current system, he contends, creates a dependency rather than fostering genuine, long-term growth. This perspective challenges the established belief in the positive impact of EU cohesion policy. Palma’s argument prompts a re-evaluation of the effectiveness of current regional aid strategies.