Abstract

Why individuals identify with Europe? In the absence of direct personal experiences with the EU and with people of other member states, how can the identification with the European project be developed? Despite the great number of EU competences, legislation and policy programmes, they are mostly implemented by member states. Are these EU policies amplifying citizens’ exposure to the idea of the EU? And finally, are citizens aware of the aims and perceive the benefits of the Cohesion Policy? If so, does it contribute to strengthen the shared political values under the European Social Model and, consequently, is it a driver of the identification with Europe? Giving answer to these questions is the main objective of this deliverable. This work tries to give some light to answer, at least partially, these questions by means of a key assumption. For most people in Europe, their experience with the EU takes place in the national political arena. In fact, one of the major EU policies is the Cohesion Policy that accounts for some 350 billion euros in the 2007-2013 programming period, about a third of total EU budget. Still, this policy is managed mostly locally. When individuals think on Europe they usually do it from a local point of view. The consequences of European integration depend not only on EU policies but also on how national, regional and local governments manage them. The Cohesion Policy is basically a regional development policy. Consequently, the territorial dimension is a key aspect that needs to be considered. In fact, most imbalances in economic and social (e.g. education) terms take place within every country and even within every region. In this respect, the perception of the Cohesion Policy and their impact on the development of a European identity could well vary between individuals in rural and urban areas. Therefore, we provide a specific look at the urban – rural divide of the way mechanisms and determinants impact on citizens’ European identification.