Subject and purpose of work: The aim of this paper is to assess the use of EU funds in promotion of peripheral areas on the example of five provinces of Eastern Poland. The detailed objectives are defined as follows: identification of projects co-financed by the EU aimed at promoting economy or tourism, including promotion of tourism-related products and assessment of using the EU funds in promotion of Polish enterprises abroad. Materials and methods: The research material is a database of projects co-financed from EU funds for 2007-2013, projects devoted to carrying out promotional activities (economic or tourist promotion) were selected for the analyses. Results: Spatial and quantitative diversification of promotional activities co-financed from EU funds in Eastern Poland was quite significant, with the highest absorption in the Lublin province. Among beneficiaries implementing promotional projects the largest group were entrepreneurs and local governments, primarily at the commune level. Conclusions: In the examined area, EU funds were used primarily to promote enterprises on foreign markets, also through participation in trade fairs organised on many continents, and to promote economy and tourism of local government units.