(ANSA) - KARPACZ, 09 SET - The ongoing debate over the future governance of EU Cohesion Policy for 2028-2034 and the perceived clash between centralization and multilevel governance is "a false trade-off", according to Andrea Gallo, publisher of Fasi.eu, speaking today at the Economic Forum's 'Regions Forum' panel. Addressing the panel on the post-2027 European budget, Gallo argued that the key to modernizing the policy lies in "separating procedural centralization from decision-making centralization". While bottom-up programming, local partnerships, and regional leadership must remain "non-negotiable" to protect the place-based nature of Cohesion funds, administrative execution requires radical simplification. "We must not centralize where the money goes or who sets regional priorities", the publisher of Fasi.eu emphasized. "What should be centralized and standardized are the administrative tools, digital platforms, and procedural mechanisms across Member States". Gallo's proposal calls for establishing a single, unified EU digital platform for Cohesion management and procurement—modeled after direct EU funding tools—to streamline auditing, reporting, and monitoring, while keeping policy choices in regional hands. Commenting on the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) model, Gallo noted that top-down centralized plans have yet to prove inherently more effective than shared governance. Modernizing execution tools without sacrificing regional participation was urged as the only path toward a faster, smarter, and truly inclusive Cohesion Policy for the post-2027 era. (ANSA).