This first edition, published on 12 October 2020, focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. EU regional and local authorities have been on the frontline in tackling the health crisis and keeping people safe. The report shows how they are also key to the economic recovery. We highlight the impact on the most vulnerable in our communities and present new public opinion data on these issues, polled less than a month before publication.
The “EU regional and local barometer” report is an initiative of the European Committee of the Regions. Published in 2020 for the first time, the aim is to show the state of the regions and cities, municipalities and rural areas of the European Union each year in October. The report brings together data and analysis from a wide range of sources including new and unique insights from the Committee’s own work and its partnerships with others. This first edition, published on 12 October 2020, focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. EU regional and local authorities have been on the frontline in tackling the health crisis and keeping people safe. The report shows how they are also key to the economic recovery. We highlight the impact on the most vulnerable in our communities and present new public opinion data on these issues, polled less than a month before publication.
With the European death toll from COVID-19 approaching 200 000 at the time of writing, the global pandemic is no doubt a crisis of historic proportions. Though unevenly, the whole of the European Union was affected by the pandemic, which upended priorities and became the overriding focus of public policy and public action at all levels. Nothing had prepared European regions and cities for this unprecedented crisis, yet, from February 2020, they had to face the pandemicand its deadly impact.
Citizens' expectations regarding European Union (EU) policy involvement and spending in healthcare and economic growthwere already increasing before the coronavirus pandemic. These rising expectations created a gap between their demands and their evaluation of current EU action. At the same time, trust in the EU is at its highest level for a decade, and higher than the average level of trust in national governments. Apart from the direct consequences for health, the pandemic caused a wide spectrum of financial difficulties for people in the EU. A fear of future loss of income and widespread uncertainty became the prevailing emotional status of Europeans, although the level of hope is also considerable. The EU response to the pandemic aligns with citizens' preferences for areas of priority action and spending, especially with the introduction of the Next Generation EU (NGEU) recovery package.