European Commission, Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission, 2022.

Competition policy is about fairness and keeping market power in check. This creates a wider choice for consumers and helps keep prices affordable and improve quality. It allows new or smaller competitors to take on established players on a level playing field, encouraging efficiency and innovation, which are crucial factors for the digital and green transformation of the EU economy and society.

European Committee of the Regions, 2024.

This study applies a rural-urban lens to the outcomes of recent national and subnational elections of European Union (EU) Member States, with the aim of analysing Eurosceptic (anti-EU values) voting patterns and identifying possible explanations for voter discontent in rural areas. Findings show high Eurosceptic voting in many rural areas across the EU. At national election level, this rural-urban trend is most marked in Member States that are the most Eurosceptic overall. In Italy, for instance, the largest share of support for anti-EU parties comes from rural areas. In Poland and Hungary, Eurosceptic support is primarily driven by rural areas. However, rural Euroscepticism also occurs in less Eurosceptic countries: in the Netherlands, while most regions did not reach a 25% vote threshold for anti-EU parties, the country’s only rural region, Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen, reached a 33% vote share. Similarly, in countries such as Portugal, Croatia and Estonia, the one or few Eurosceptic regions are all predominantly rural.

European Parliament: Directorate-General for Communication, Chiesa, A., Preguica, G., Büttner, M., Zühlke, O. et al., European and national elections results – Review – End-of-term edition (May 2024), European Parliament, 2024.

Meticulously tracing the European Parliament’s dynamic composition is the purpose of the 'Review of European and National Election Results'. With several updates per legislative term and produced continuously since 2014, the ‘Review’ is the most complete and comprehensive in-house database covering developments in the political spectrum across the EU. With data going back to the first direct election to the European Parliament in 1979, the Review is an invaluable reference source on the composition of the European Parliament and national political landscapes. The current edition, published in June 2024, provides a comprehensive end-of-term update, detailing all the changes in the composition of the European Parliament during its ninth legislature. It provides information on the Members of the outgoing Parliament by country, gender, political group and party affiliation as at 27/05/2024.

European Parliament: Directorate-General for Communication, Büttner, M., El Koura, Y., Preguica, G., Zühlke, O. et al., European and national elections results – Review – September 2024 edition, European Parliament, 2024.

The European Parliament's 'Review of European and National Election Results' is the most complete and comprehensive source of data on developments across the political spectrum in the EU, meticulously tracking the dynamic composition of the European parliament over time. With data dating back to the first direct elections to the European Parliament in 1979, the “Review” is an essential reference source on the composition of the European Parliament and on the national political landscapes. The September 2024 edition, updates all the changes in the composition of the European Parliament at the beginning of its 10th term. It provides information on the Members of the incoming Parliament by country, gender, political group and party affiliation as of its constitutive session on 16/07/2024.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Communication, European citizenship – Eurobarometer report, European Commission, 2024.

The present volume of the Spring 2024 Standard Eurobarometer survey focuses on European citizenship. Here we analyse the following issues: Attachment of Europeans to the European Union, particularly compared with attachment to respondent’s city/town/village, to their country and to Europe. The results of the European Union: what do Europeans see as the most positive results of the European Union? The notion of European citizenship: do Europeans feel that they are European citizens? What elements create the sense of a European citizenship? Do Europeans know their rights as European citizens? Do they expect to be given information on this issue? Social issues: do Europeans feel that people have a lot in common in their country? And in the European Union? Do they consider that people in the EU’s Eastern neighbourhood countries have a lot of things in common with people in the EU? What personal values do Europeans have? And which best represent the European Union in their eyes?

European Parliament, 2023.

Publication metadata
On behalf of the European Parliament, Kantar Public Belgium has conducted a survey targeting European Union (EU) citizens living in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2023, following up on a survey conducted in 2018 before the European Parliament elections. The aim was to investigate their attitudes to the EU and EU citizenship, as well as their attitudes to the European Parliament elections and their voting intentions. Respondents were asked if they voted in the 2019 elections and to identify any issues they experienced when voting or their reasons for not voting on that occasion. They were also asked if they planned to vote in the next European Parliament elections. The survey also aimed to understand the most important political issues for these EU citizens living in the UK and to map the sources they rely on for political news.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Communication, The EU’s response to the war in Ukraine – Eurobarometer report, European Commission, 2024.

The Standard Eurobarometer 101 (EB101) survey of spring 2024 was conducted from 2 April to 9 May in 38 countries or territories: the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU), eight candidate countries (Albania, Georgia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Moldova, Serbia, Türkiye and Bosnia and Herzegovina), the Turkish Cypriot Community in the part of the country not controlled by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus, as well as in Kosovo1 and the United Kingdom.

European Commission, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, Rodríguez-Pose, A., Dijkstra, L., et al. Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.

While many regions have flourished in recent decades, many others are stuck — or are at risk of becoming stuck— in a development trap. Such regions experience relative decline in economic growth, employment, and productivity relative to their neighbours and to their own past economic trajectories. Many of these regions have been in a development trap for lengthy periods of time and this condition is increasing political discontent and unrest.

European Parliament, Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union, Vidačak, I., Šelo Šabićs, S., European Parliament, 2023.

This analysis explores examples of best practices from selected parliaments in the areas of transparency, integrity, accountability and anti-corruption, and reflects on the effectiveness of the analysed approaches and their possible applicability for the European Parliament (EP). Findings confirm the need for the establishment of an independent European Union (EU) ethics body, granted investigative and enforcement powers with full transparency of enquiries, decisions and/or proposals as a pre-condition for its effectiveness and regaining citizens’ trust in the work of EU institutions.

European Commission, Directorate-General for Communication, European Commission, 2023.

The full report of the Standard Eurobarometer 100 survey consists of multiple volumes. The first volume presents the results of general questions about the state of public opinion in the European Union. Four other volumes present Europeans’ opinions about the following topics: the use of Media in the European Union, the European Union’s priorities, European citizenship, and opinions regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The present volume of the Autumn 2023 Standard Eurobarometer survey focuses on media use in the European Union.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Communication, Public opinion in the EU regions – January-February 2024 – Report, European Commission, 2024.

This Flash Eurobarometer, ‘Public opinion in the EU regions’ (FL539), was conducted at the request of the Directorate-General for Communication. The survey is designed to assess the views of EU citizens living in each of 194 individual regions across the 27 EU Member States.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Communication, Public opinion in the European Union – Eurobarometer report, European Commission, 2024.

The Standard Eurobarometer 101.3 (EB101) survey of Spring 2024 was conducted from 3 April and 9 May 2024 in 38 countries or territories: the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU), eight candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye), the Turkish Cypriot Community in the part of the country not controlled by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus, as well as in Kosovo, and the United Kingdom. The full report of the Standard Eurobarometer 101 survey consists of multiple volumes. This first volume presents the results of general questions about the state of public opinion in the European Union. Three other volumes present Europeans’ opinions about the following topics: the European Union’s priorities, opinions regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and European citizenship.

European Committee of the Regions, Commission for Natural Resources, 2024.

This study applies a rural-urban lens to the outcomes of recent national and subnational elections of European Union (EU) Member States, with the aim of analysing Eurosceptic (anti-EU values) voting patterns and identifying possible explanations for voter discontent in rural areas. Findings show high Eurosceptic voting in many rural areas across the EU. At national election level, this rural-urban trend is most marked in Member States that are the most Eurosceptic overall. In Italy, for instance, the largest share of support for anti-EU parties comes from rural areas. In Poland and Hungary, Eurosceptic support is primarily driven by rural areas. However, rural Euroscepticism also occurs in less Eurosceptic countries: in the Netherlands, while most regions did not reach a 25% vote threshold for anti-EU parties, the country’s only rural region, Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen, reached a 33% vote share. Similarly, in countries such as Portugal, Croatia and Estonia, the one or few Eurosceptic regions are all predominantly rural.

European Parliament, Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services, Fernandes, M., Jančová, L., European Parliament, 2023.

Corruption poses a significant threat in the European Union and can contribute towards an erosion of democracy and the rule of law, especially during times of crisis. The European Union can do more to tackle corruption and curb its negative impacts on society. This report presents a quantitative analysis of the potential gains from further EU action to tackle corruption, estimating that it could generate up to €58.5 billion per year. Other gains could also be expected in terms of reinforcing democracy and promoting international credibility and long-term growth.