REPORT. Free bus network, brand-new park, redesigned squares... When European funding allows cities to carry out "quality" projects.

As the European Commission prepares to present its multiannual budget proposal, numerous examples show that Europe also makes it possible to finance concrete projects for the French.

Europe is also concrete for the French. The European Commission will present its highly anticipated multiannual budget proposal on Wednesday, July 16. Expected to cover the period 2028-2034, it will translate into figures and appropriations the priorities the European Union intends to set for the next ten years.

While the first item of expenditure in this budget concerns agriculture, the second represents direct aid paid to regions and local authorities to subsidize all sorts of projects. On a daily basis, French people benefit from direct aid from Europe, sometimes without even really knowing it.

In Limoges, we know something about this . The renovation of the central market halls has helped revitalize the city center . And the city can thank Europe. Sylvette Grillet-Duterne was able to secure a European budget of 830,000 euros for the town hall.

"It's really something that allows us to carry out slightly more qualitative projects and sometimes make better choices of materials. For example, the choice was made to integrate porcelain to reflect Limoges porcelain. It's something that is quite expensive and optional in some ways, but these are the works that make the most of the building," she explains. To achieve this, Limoges had to prove that its project would have a local economic impact. This is the main criterion in the eyes of the European Union before financing a project.

In the Hautes-Alpes region, in Ceillac, a biathlon stadium , operational all year round, even in the summer, has been subsidized. According to the first deputy mayor, Jean-Louis Romette, the economic benefits are already being felt at an altitude of 1,650 meters. "There has been a craze. We have hardly advertised this stadium, we have an impressive list of national and international committees who will be coming to train," the elected official exults.

The European Union also funds projects related to its decarbonization objectives. This was the case with the free bus network in Dunkirk. A vast public transport network now connects 17 municipalities free of charge. "We have cities that are more car-friendly. So we had to reverse the trend and build new lanes or insert bus lanes so that they have priority across the entire 43 km territory between the east and west of the urban community. European funding was mainly used to develop these traffic lanes," explains Nathalie Legros, who heads the Maison de l'Europe on site. The total investment was €26.5 million. European funds financed almost half of it.

As indicated on the government website L'Europe s'engage en France , "European funds are accessible to local and territorial authorities as well as to public institutions. They make it possible to finance projects in many areas that correspond to the skills and needs of the communities." The government thus points out that "thousands of projects" have been financed since 2007 by the European Union. Whether in the areas of regional planning, social inclusion, transport, the environment or even innovation.

Among the projects supported by local authorities, in Fontaines-sur-Saône, near Lyon, a former football pitch has also been transformed into a park open to all thanks to more than two million euros paid by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

In Longwy, in Meurthe-et-Moselle, the town of around 15,000 inhabitants has seen its Place Leclerc completely redeveloped , again with the participation of European funds. More than half a million euros was granted for the project, which totaled more than two million euros. The project has notably allowed the discovery of a formerly buried river, the development of meeting places, playgrounds, a forecourt and parking spaces.