Convergence between countries has slowed down, and divergence within countries has increased: Theil indices based on the distribution of regional GDP per capita (in 2015 constant USD PPPs)
Southern and Eastern European countries have had a contrasting growth performance
Divergence has increased among older EU member states
The gap between metropolitan and remote regions is very wide
Larger regions have diverged in their sectoral specialisation
Poorer regions have more jobs at high risk of automation
Loss of manufacturing has been associated to declining prosperity
People have moved to metropolitan areas
Growth in the wealthiest European regions has often been outpaced by their US counterparts
The EU lags behind in R&D performed by firms
Many EU countries and regions have meagre R&D investment
Richer regions invest more in R&D and have received more Horizon 2020 funding
Men are over-represented in brown industries, especially at older ages
Policies with a territorial dimension account for most of the EU budget
EU budget tools differ in their degree of redistribution
Public procurement in cohesion policy could be made more competitive and transparent
Data in procurement procedures is often incomplete
Cohesion policy has become more complex over time
Amounts involved in irregularities reported as fraudulent have increased
Agricultural regions are often lagging
Generational renewal in agriculture remains insufficient