65% of Europeans do not know that the EU funds local and regional development in the area where they live. This is despite the fact that under current rules a third of the EU budget is allocated to boosting growth and prosperity in the 27 member states and their respective regions.
The level of public knowledge about EU-funded projects has been measured by a Flash Eurobarometer survey, the results of which were published this week by the European Commission.
The survey on 'Citizens' awareness and perceptions of EU regional policy' was conducted by Gallup in June 2010. In total more than 27,000 people, spread across all 27 member states, took part in the survey.
The survey results show that public awareness about EU-funded projects varies widely between countries. If one looks at the member states that receive the most money from the structural funds, which are also the poorest countries, one finds that in most cases a majority of the population says they have heard about one or more projects being co-financed by the EU in the area where they live.
In Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, around two-thirds of those who took part in the survey said they had heard about EU-funded projects in their area.
In the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Portugal and Slovenia, more than half of the respondents were aware of local projects being co-financed by the Commission.
Meanwhile, there are eight member states where less than one in four of the people who took part in the survey were aware of EU-supported projects in their area. They include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
In the United Kingdom, only 13% of respondents said they had heard about local projects being supported by the EU.
People who said they had heard about EU-funded projects in their area were also asked questions about the impact of these projects. Three-quarters (76%) felt that the EU's support had been positive for the economic and social development of their city or region. Within this group of respondents, over a third (36%) said that they had personally benefited from the projects co-financed by the EU.
All of the people who took part in the survey were also asked for their opinions about how EU funds should be shared between member states. The vast majority of citizens (88%) agreed that it is a good idea to give the poorest regions most of the money.
But public opinion is split on whether all the funds should be allocated to the poorest regions. Half of respondents (49%) said that the EU should only support the poorer EU areas, while the other half (47%) felt that all of Europe's regions, including rich ones, should be able to receive some financial support.
