The impact of EU Cohesion Policy on European identity: A comparative analysis of EU regions
| Author | Carlos Mendez,Gabriela Borz,Heinz Brandenburg |
| DOI | 10.1177/14651165221076444 |
| Published date | 01 June 2022 |
| Date | 01 June 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
The impact of EU Cohesion
Policy on European identity:
A comparative analysis of
EU regions
Gabriela Borz
School of Government and Public Policy, University of
Strathclyde, UK
Heinz Brandenburg
School of Government and Public Policy, University of
Strathclyde, UK
Carlos Mendez
European Policies Research Centre, School of Government and
Public Policy, University of Strathclyde, UK
Abstract
This article investigates the role of European Union Cohesion Policy in the development
of European identity, drawing on an original and representative survey in 17 regions
across 12 member states. We advance a theoretical model which distinguishes cognitive,
instrumental and communicative drivers of identity formation. Contrary to existing
scholarship, we find that EU Cohesion Policy does contribute to European identity.
Citizens that perceive benefits for themselves and for their region’s development
from EU Cohesion Policy are more likely to develop a European identity. We also
find that awareness of the EU Cohesion Fund and exposure to publicity on EU funded
projects is positively correlated with European identity. However, while Cohesion Policy
contributes to citizens’self-categorization as European, it does not associate with their
emotional attachment to Europe. The study has important implications for
Corresponding author:
Gabriela Borz, School of Government and Public Policy, University of Strathclyde, 16 Richmond Street,
Glasgow, G1 1QX, UK.
Email: gabriela.borz@strath.ac.uk
Article
European Union Politics
2022, Vol. 23(2) 259–281
© The Author(s) 2022
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/14651165221076444
journals.sagepub.com/home/eup
understanding European identity formation and communicating the benefits and role of
the EU in regional policy.
Keywords
Attachment, cognitive mobilization, cohesion policy, European identity, European union
funds, publicity
Introduction
There is increasing recognition of the importance of a shared European identity for the
sustainability of the European Union (EU) as a political regime (Bellucci et al., 2012;
Kaina and Karolewski, 2013). The impact of identity politics on the EU’s political land-
scape is clear from the rise of populist and anti-EU political parties across Europe in the
post crisis era, and their successful exploitation of cultural and immigration fears (Hutter
et al., 2016). Brexit is a striking example given that concerns about the undermining of
British identity and the degree of identification with Europe were strong determinants of
how people voted (Curtice, 2017; Hobolt, 2016). Research shows that identification with
Europe is a key driver of citizens’political support for the EU (Hooghe and Marks, 2005;
Klingeren et al., 2013) and EU policy responses to the crisis (Verhaegen, 2017). The rise
of European identity politics has also led to the rise of new post-functional theories of
integration with identity-based factors at their core (Börzel and Risse, 2018; Hooghe
and Marks, 2005; Hutter et al., 2016).
A critical question is what accounts for European identity? There is an established
body of scholarship examining how and why citizens transfer their allegiance to the
EU emphasising a combination of top-down institutional factors and bottom-up
individual-level characteristics (for reviews, see Dalton, 2021; Favell et al., 2011;
Kaina and Karolewski, 2013; Sanders et al., 2012). However, the study of the impact
of EU policies on identity has mainly focused on cultural policies, economic and monet-
ary union, foreign policy or policies that facilitate mobility and transnational social inter-
actions such as the Erasmus programme or internal market (Kaina and Karolewski, 2013).
This article provides additional knowledge and clarification about how EU Cohesion
Policy affects citizens’European identity. The Cohesion Policy domain is particularly
instructive for investigating the impact of the EU on identity for several reasons. It is the
most explicit expression of EU solidarity in the EU’s budget through a redistributive pro-
gramme of investment focused on the less developed EU countries and regions. Cohesion
Policy co-funds highly visible projects impacting on people’s daily lives through infrastruc-
ture investment, businesses grants and training for people across the EU. Beneficiaries are
obliged to publicise the funding, projects and achievements to the public to increase aware-
ness about the benefits and role of the EU. With its pioneering multilevel governance model,
Cohesion Policy is credited with encouraging the participation of subnational actors in
regional development policies, as well as encouraging civic engagement at all levels.
260 European Union Politics 23(2)
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