In this paper, we examine the role of structural factors (more precisely, so-called place-based characteristics) in shaping EU policy. The analysis covered the actual expenditure on individual priority axes in the programmes of two sectoral policies in the programming period 2007–2013 and changes in socio-economic characteristics at the local level (district, NUTS4). Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between the level of expenditure on Rural Development Programmes and Regional Operational Programmes per capita and selected indicators describing the level of economic, social and demographic development of local government units. We show that the instruments of rural development policy and regional programmes in 2007–2013 were complementary to each other, but also strongly related to the characteristics of the region (such as physical size, population, area of ​​agricultural land), and therefore strongly dependent on the specific characteristics of a given territory. We suggest that in the future rural policy, greater emphasis should be placed on regional and local (so-called place-based) development conditions.