欧盟的地方政客和欧洲的未来（英）-2021.10-58页_1mb

Flash Eurobarometer Summary: Local Politicians of the EU and the Future of Europe

Core Content

This Flash Eurobarometer report, conducted in July–September 2021 and published in October 2021, focuses on the opinions of local politicians across the 27 EU Member States regarding the influence of regions, cities, and villages in shaping the future of the EU and improving European democracy. The survey was commissioned by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and carried out by Ipsos European Public Affairs. It is the first survey to target all local politicians in the EU.

Main Findings

1. Influence of Regions, Cities, and Villages on the EU

• Majority Disagree on Influence: 64% of local politicians surveyed disagree that regions, cities, and villages have enough influence on the future of the EU, while 33% agree.
• Country Variations: The proportion of local politicians who disagree varies significantly, from 12% in Greece to 87% in Hungary.
• Political Level Disagreement: Local politicians representing provinces and counties (Level II) are more likely to disagree than those representing regions/federal states (Level I) or municipalities (Level III).
• Political Affiliation: Those from the Identity and Democracy (ID) group are most likely to disagree (86%), while those from the EPP and S&D groups are more likely to agree (40%).

2. Measures to Increase Influence

• Improving Access to EU Funding: 94% of local politicians consider this important, with 64% finding it 'very important'.
• Increasing Influence on EU Policy-Making: 87% find this important, with 46% considering it 'very important'.
• EU's Role in Supporting Local Policy-Making: 71% of local politicians find this important, with 32% considering it 'very important'.
• Influence on National Policy-Making: 90% think regions and local authorities should have more influence, with 54% finding it 'very important'.
• Cooperation with Other Countries: 85% of local politicians consider increased cooperation with regions and local authorities in other European countries important, with 39% finding it 'very important'.

3. Key EU-Related Topics for Regional and Local Influence

The most frequently mentioned topics for increased regional and local influence in EU policy-making are:

• A stronger economy, social justice and jobs (61%)
• Climate change and the environment (59%)
• Education, culture, youth and sport (50%)

Other topics mentioned include health (35%), values and rights, rule of law and security (31%), migration (29%), digital transformation (26%), European democracy (24%), and EU in the world (13%).

4. Conference on the Future of Europe

• Awareness: 54% of local politicians are aware of the Conference, while 46% are not.
• Involvement: 11% have been actively involved in the Conference or are aware of related activities in their constituency.
• Activities Conducted: The most common activities are information events (47%), followed by citizens' debates (29%) and media activities (28%).

5. Information Needs

• EU Democracy: 90% of local politicians believe better information on democratic systems at the EU, national, and subnational levels would improve democracy.
• EU-Level Information: Only 66% of local politicians feel they have sufficient information about how democracy works at the EU level, compared to 88% at the national level and 84% at the subnational level.

Key Information

• Survey Methodology: Conducted via CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing), with over 20,000 email invitations sent. Responses were weighted by the number of municipalities in each country.
• Political Groups: The findings are reported at the level of the seven political groups in the European Parliament.
• Regional Variations: Southern and Eastern European countries show a stronger preference for increased regional and local influence in EU policy-making, compared to Western and Northern European countries.
• Support for EU Initiatives: Local politicians support EU initiatives such as support for partnerships among regions and cities (52%) and partnerships between regional/local councils (46%).

Summary of Preferences

Political Affiliation and Preferences

Conclusion

The survey highlights a strong desire among local politicians for increased influence of regions and cities in EU decision-making and for better support from the EU in local policy-making. There is significant variation in opinions based on country and political affiliation, with southern and eastern European countries generally showing higher levels of support for increased regional and local influence. The Conference on the Future of Europe is seen as an important platform, but awareness and involvement remain limited.