Croatia ranks third in the EU in terms of awareness of EU funded projects, according to a survey published by the European Commission on Tuesday.

In Croatia, the last country to join the EU, in 2013, 72% of respondents are aware of such projects. The EU average is 39%.

Such a result has not surprised us, Commission official Gianluca Comuniello said during a presentation of the findings in Brussels.

It’s the effect of recent EU membership. European funds are still a novelty in Croatia, they are news there. The Peljesac Bridge was recently opened in Croatia, so people heard about that project, he told Hina.

The bridge in southern Croatia was opened in July 2022. Its value was €550 million, including €357 million coming from the EU budget, making it the most expensive project co-financed by the EU.

The Eurobarometer survey was done for the Commission by the Ipsos company, covering 25,718 EU citizens last June.

Poland ranked first, with 80% awareness of EU funded projects, followed by Slovakia (73%).

On the other end are rich countries with big budgets, where EU funds don’t play a big part, so they are rarely mentioned in the media, said Comuniello.

Only 15% of respondents are aware of a co-funded project in Denmark, 16% in Germany and 18% in the Netherlands. They are also the countries paying more money into the EU budget than receiving from it.

The common budget is used to finance EU funds, 85% of which is used to co-fund infrastructure, education, environment and other projects aimed at reducing the developmental inequalities between the bloc’s 27 member states.

About €392 billion, a third of the EU budget, has been set aside for that purpose in the 2021-27 period, including €9 billion made available to Croatia.

Many in Croatia feel that projects co-funded with that money have a positive impact, said Comuniello.

Of the respondents in Croatia aware of a EU funded project, 87% said the project had a positive impact on the development of their region or city. In Italy, this percentage was 56%, the lowest in the EU.

The survey was done on the occasion of the European Week of Regions and Cities, which is being attended from 9 to 12 October by 7,000 participants, including Croatian Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Sime Erlic on Thursday.