Contributor(s): Johannes Hahn | With reforms now in place, EU regional policy focuses more than ever on investment that will improve the quality of life of EU citizens. € 350 billion - the EU's second biggest spending priority - will above all support small and medium-sized enterprises, research and innovation, renewable energies and energy efficiency, education, and fight against unemployment and poverty. How can we ensure it is well spent? We will be asking to what extent the reforms challenge the traditional convergence role of the policy with its focus on the poorer regions. The discussion will also assess how profound the reforms are and, at a time when the UK is reconsidering its position in the EU, we will reflect on whether regional policy is better carried out at national level. Johannes Hahn will be in conversation with Professor Iain Begg. Johannes Hahn (@JHahnEU) is European commissioner for regional and urban policy. Iain Begg is a professorial research fellow at the European Institute, LSE.