Differing opinions on how to measure economic results of 'cohesion'

Cohesion policy is one of the biggest chunks of the EU budget – and the subject of the fiercest haggling every seven years among EU leaders when they meet to agree on the numbers of the next budget.

Funding between 2014-20 amounted to €351.8bn (almost a third of the entire EU budget), and a budget of €373bn is planned for 2021-2027, according to the EU commission's proposed new long-term budget.

One reason it is one of the most contested EU policies is that net payers can see it...