The Report features the annual Regional and Local Barometer, a European-wide poll of local and regional representatives in the 27 EU Members States on how they see the future of Europe and how they address today's crises.
The war against Ukraine, the long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the existential threat of the climate crisis put the European Union under unprecedented pressure. The 2022 EU Annual Report on the State of Regions and Cities highlights how regions and cities remain the first responders to these global challenges.
The Report also offers a series of policy recommendations for EU legislators in key files, such as the reconstruction of Ukraine, measures to support households, businesses and public administration in the energy crisis or to prepare the debate on the future of cohesion policy.
Main findings
- 76% of local politicians said that their regional or local authority receives refugees from Ukraine and at least half of respondents said that their regional or local authority sends material aid to Ukraine
- Two out of four respondents said that the most effective way to rebuild Ukraine is to involve EU regions in the plan of reconstruction
- 88% of local politicians interviewed totally agreed or tended to agree that “cohesion" should be among the key values of the European Union; this number ranged from 68% in Finland to 100% in Portugal.
- When asked about the added value of cohesion policy, compared to other funding streams (national or regional), over six in ten respondents said that cohesion funds were used to support specific types of projects (62%). Close to one in three local politicians said that cohesion funding was used to integrate EU policy into strategies developed at the regional level (31%) while around one in five respondents said that it supports partnership among actors at all institutional levels (20%) and the stability of financing over the long term (16%).
- Regarding the awareness of any EU funding (under Cohesion Policy or NextGenerationEU) received by their city or region in the past two years, 35% of local politicians said that they are aware of any EU funding
- One in ten of respondents stated that they were either fully involved (1%) or partially involved (9%) in the drafting of the National Recovery and Resilience Plans
- 51% respondents said that the key objectives of EU funding should be supporting the green transition of the economy
- 77% of respondents said that the social and economic impact of the war requires adapting EU policies and funding
- 89% of respondents agree that regions and cities should have more influence on the future of the European Union
- More than six in ten respondents (65%) said that regions and cities can be most effectively involved in the debate on the Future of Europe by ensuring a continuous debate on the topic at the regional and local level
The 'Local politicians of the EU and the future of Europe' survey was conducted by IPSOS. Between 25 July and 11 September 2022, 2698 interviews were completed with local and regional politicians in the EU. It complements the findings of the EU 2022 Annual Report on the state of regions and cities released by the European Committee of the Regions.
