A new Eurobarometer survey shows that EU citizens continue to see Cohesion Policy projects as a positive force in their daily lives. Nearly four out of five respondents (79%) who are aware of EU-funded initiatives believe they improve living conditions in their country or region. Overall, 40% of Europeans report being aware of such projects, and more than half (57%) say they strengthen their sense of EU citizenship.
Awareness of Cohesion Policy funds
Two-thirds of respondents recognise at least one Cohesion Policy fund, such as the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Cohesion Fund, European Social Fund, Interreg or the Just Transition Fund. Awareness is especially high in Poland (92%) and Slovakia (91%), but significantly lower in countries such as Denmark (34%), Sweden (39%), Germany (47%) and the Netherlands (47%).
Personal impact
On average, 17% of Europeans say they have personally benefited from an EU-funded project. In some Member States, this rises to 50%, suggesting that local relevance strongly shapes public perception.
Priorities for future investment
When asked about the most important areas for future EU investment, citizens highlighted healthcare and education infrastructure (49%), environmental protection and climate action (38%), job creation and labour market access (31%), and improvements in housing and energy efficiency (27%).
Where Cohesion Policy should focus
A majority (64%) believe that all EU regions should receive support, with priority for areas facing high unemployment (63%), deprived urban districts (51%), and remote rural or mountainous regions (50%).
Cross-border cooperation and macro-regional strategies
One in four respondents (25%) are aware of cross-border cooperation initiatives, though fewer than one in five recognise specific programmes such as Interreg (17%), the European Urban Initiative and URBACT (16%), or macro-regional strategies (16%). Overall, 52% remain unaware of any of these initiatives. Awareness also varies widely across countries: Poland records high recognition of macro-regional strategies (45%), while levels remain much lower in Sweden (3%) and Italy (18%).
These results highlight both the positive contribution of Cohesion Policy to people’s lives and the continuing challenge of improving visibility, particularly for cross-border and macro-regional initiatives.
