This chapter outlines why EU Cohesion Policy must end and explores reform challenges. Despite consuming a third of the EU budget, structural funds have failed to reduce disparities, creating a resource curse that fosters dependency, misallocation, and reform delays. Conditionality mechanisms are ineffective: national governments promise reforms that rarely materialize, while the European Commission prioritizes absorption over accountability. Monitoring remains weak, and political incentives favour short-term spending and pork-barrel projects. The chapter argues that subsidies deny lagging regions the chance to learn from poor choices, perpetuating stagnation. Ending Cohesion Policy is essential, but politically difficult due to entrenched interests and lobbying. Gradual phase-out may be more feasible than abrupt termination, though both face commitment challenges. Freed resources should fund competitive programmes in research, innovation, and defence or return to citizens via tax cuts. The EU must abandon idealistic redistribution and focus on enforcing the Single Market, improving governance, and fostering competitiveness. Without reform, Cohesion Policy will continue to undermine Europe’s economic resilience and democratic integrity, threatening the EU’s future.