Economic crisis, Cohesion Policy and the eroding image of the European Union at the regional level

As a result of a combination of political and economic crises engulfing the European Union (EU)since 2008 has deteriorated considerably its image among the citizens, undermining its legitimacy and future. Cohesion Policy, providing funding for a variety of investment projects across the European territories that have a direct impact on the lives of the EU citizens, is one the key instruments at the disposal of the EU that could positively influence that image. But does it? The paper probes the extent to which the regional performance in implementation of Cohesion Policy affected the perceptions of the EU before and after the apogee of the economic crisis to shed more light on the capacity of this policy shape the citizens' EU identity across different European regions.