Abstract:

The reduction of socio-economic disparities and the promotion of progress and regional development was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the EU cohesion policy. In this respect, the three structural instruments - the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF) - aimed at increasing regional convergence, competitiveness and territorial development, each Member State benefiting from a consistent part of the European budget, depending on its level of development.

After the EU accession, Romania had a budget allocation of 19.06 billion euros to reduce economic disparities and boost the regional economy. With an absorption rate of 90.44% between 2007-2013, Romania was in the penultimate place among the Member States in this area (Croatia came last, but it did not benefit from structural funds for the entire period, adhering to the EU in 2013). Although the absorbed amount is very high, there was not a consistent impact at national level and the disparities between regions have grown. Leaving aside indicators and statistical figures (which may confirm the impact or not), the results are not so visible to citizens. If in the past Romanians were one of the most pro-European peoples, nowadays, after 10 years of integration, debates easily heat up when it comes to assessing the advantages and disadvantages of being in the EU.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the citizens' perception on the role of the European Union, the advantages and disadvantages of Romania after its integration into the European Community, the extent to which accession has contributed to reducing disparities and to generating a positive impact on local and regional development. Apart from the presentation of winning areas, this article aims to identify the respondents’ awareness level on European issues, to build a profile of Romanian optimists and Eurosceptics and to propose a series of measures for the maximization of the benefits of integration.