One of the 17 SDGs on the EU agenda to be achieved by 2030 is to reduce development inequalities. According to the European Commission, reducing inequalities will contribute to achieving the desired European social cohesion level and to sustainable poverty reduction. These inequalities exist both between regions belonging to the same country and between European countries. Various European funds as well as national funding sources contribute to achieving the goal of reducing inequalities by providing financial support for a variety of development projects. However, their success in reducing inequalities depends on how the funds are managed and how they are distributed between more developed and less developed regions. Studies show that more developed communities benefit more from this financial support than less developed ones, which favours widening the gaps. Taking this into consideration, the study aims to analyse the distribution of financial support to the Romanian territory, an area marked by strong disparities. The hypothesis underlying the study is that there is a negative discrimination in the way financial support is channelled at intra-regional level in Romania, leading to a deepening of pre-existing disparities. In order to test this hypothesis, some of the funds absorbed by Romanian communities so far have been taken into account (eg. Anghel Saligny funds, NRDP). The tools used in the construction of the analysis are hotspot analysis – in order to identify spatially similar territories and grouping analysis - to identify the characteristics of disadvantaged territories. The results show spatial differences that lead to the validation of the above hypothesis in some cases. This underlines the lack of coherence between the political discourse and the concrete results obtained so far from the actions undertaken in Romania to reduce inequalities. Thus, although reducing existing regional imbalances, with a focus on stimulating balanced development and revitalising disadvantaged areas, is a priority, a basic objective of regional development policy in Romania, the spatial distribution of funds may lead to the opposite result.