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can be effective in the even wider context of the global system (Beck & Grande,
2007). In contrast, perceptions represented by the second component seem to be
more concrete and contextual and locally and regionally constituted.
4.4 Opinion of EU Electorates on Orientations of Regional
and Cohesion Policies
The Lisbon Agenda conveyed directly the issues of economic and social disparities
between Member States and between regions. In the long period of the European
integration process, the EC and EU underwent six successive enlargements in 1973-
2007. The level of economic and social inequalities, both between Member States
and regions, increased initially due to each enlargement. However, it was empha-
sised earlier in this paper that the 2004 and 2007 enlargements have substantially
increased regional inequalities across the EU (Molle, 2007). The regional and struc-
tural funds and the cohesion funds are the key EU resources available to mitigate
problems of disparities between Member States and regions. The funds contributed
to economic and social development in regions and Member States concerned. The
accession of the 12 new Member States in 2004-2007 did not result in increased
budget contributions from the richer old Member States. Among other things, this
can mean that reduction of disparities between regions and Member States can be
difficult to achieve. It is therefore of little surprise that the European Commission
also published Flash Eurobarometer no. 234 titled
Citizen's Perceptions of EU
Regional Policy
based on fieldwork carried out in January 2008. The survey made an
attempt to identify public opinion on orientations of regional and cohesion policies
across the enlarged EU.
Table 4.4 gives the outcomes of another principal component analysis of ten
selected indicators. The three rotated components represent together 70% of the
total variation of the ten variables. The variables indicate what respondents consider
as priorities important for their city or region. The respondents could choose ten
priorities. The indicators are calculated as net positive opinions, i.e. the negative
answers are subtracted from the positive answers.
The first component can be labelled as a dimension called
innovation
because
it represents correlations between opinions giving priorities to EU regional policies
orientated towards economic organisational innovation. The highest loading on the
component has the priority of research and innovation (loading 0.847). The second
highest loading has the priority given to support for small businesses (0.845). There
follows a high loading of the priority of environment and risk prevention (0.730).
There are further lower significant loadings representing the priorities given to
energy infrastructure and sustainable energy supply and the priority of employment
training (loadings 0.593 and 0.519). It is interesting to establish that the priority
given to environment and risk prevention has the highest mean level of (77.3%) of
these five variables.
The second component can be called
welfare
because it represents correla-
tions between priorities given to maintenance of welfare-state provisions and the
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