This book offers a critical analysis of the European Union’s Cohesion Policy and its structural and investment funds. These instruments, aimed at reducing regional disparities and fostering growth, distribute billions annually to poorer EU regions. While rooted in noble intentions, evidence of their effectiveness is limited and inconclusive. I argue that this policy’s utopian vision is unattainable and that its implementation has become a major factor behind Europe’s economic stagnation, political malaise, and demographic challenges. Rather than promoting innovation and competitiveness, structural funds often perpetuate dependency and misallocation, undermining the EU’s long-term stability. Drawing on academic literature, media sources, and case studies – particularly from Portugal, Greece, southern Italy, and post-communist Member States – this book calls for the termination of these subsidies and a fundamental rethinking of EU priorities. It seeks to open a rigorous debate on the root causes of Europe’s decline and the urgent need for institutional reform to secure the Union’s future.