Governance and citizenship

38% of European citizens believe that local and regional levels of government have more influence on their living conditions than the European or national levels. This statistic is a result of a Eurobarometer survey* carried out between October and November 2009.

 

The survey indicates that the percentage has increased by 4% since the autumn of 2009, while the percentage attributed to the European and national level has diminished. The citizens that gave the highest ranking to local and regional levels were from Estonia (51%), Finland (49%), the UK (44%), Italy (43%), the Czech Republic (42%) and Slovakia (38%). The most striking changes came from France and Estonia, with the regional and local levels increasing by 15% while the national level decreased by 10%.

 

Among those interviewed, 66% also felt that local and regional authorities are not sufficiently taken into account in EU policy making. This opinion prevails among citizens who have a globally positive feeling towards the European Union, be it in terms of image, trust or sentiment of belonging.

 

Moreover, half of European citizens believe that local and regional authorities are the most trustworthy level of government, while only 34% place their trust in their national governments.

 

These observations illustrate the importance of the Lisbon Treaty's provisions to reinforce the role of regional and local authorities. Entered into force in December 2009, the treaty describes the principle of territorial cohesion as one of the EU's objectives and officially recognises the principle of regional autonomy.

* The Eurobarometer survey is yet only available in French.