Skopje, 8 February 2023 (MIA) – A drop in support for the Euro-integrations, perception of high level of corruption, low trust in the institutions, absence of the rule of law and strong “partisation” of society, show the results of the “Eurobarometer 2022” phone survey , conducted December 12-27, 2022, based on a representative sample of 1.006 respondents by Brima for the Centre for European Strategies – Eurothink.

A total of 61 percent of respondents believe there is no democracy in the country, 72 percent believe that the country is headed in the wrong direction, while 71 percent believe that the institutions are handling the fight against corruption poorly. Of those surveyed, 38 percent believe that the Constitution will be amended in the next 12 months, while 39 percent believe that it won’t happen. Only 12 percent of respondents believe that North Macedonia will become an EU member in the next five years. 

According to the survey, only 17 percent of respondents consider the EU’s attitude towards North Macedonia as fair, friendly and correct, while 65 percent consider it unfair, arrogant and as blackmail. A total of 42 percent of respondents believe that there is a threat for the country, 27.6 percent perceive Bulgaria as the biggest threat, with 4 percent considering Russia as the biggest threat. According to 37 percent of respondents, Serbia is the most friendly country.

The citizens trust the Army the most (39 percent), followed by the religious institutions (32 percent) and the police (21 percent). Judiciary has the lowest trust (6 percent), followed by the prosecution (7 percent).

“In 2022, we have record low figures in terms of the Macedonian citizens’ trust and opinions towards the European Union and the EU integration process in general. There are drops or oscillations of around 20 percent compared to previous years. In the last two to three years, Bulgaria is seen as the biggest enemy of Macedonia and this is a continuously rising trend. In 2021, Bulgaria was perceived as the biggest enemy with 23 percent, in 2022 that percentage grew to 27.6 percent. On the other hand, Serbia is traditionally perceived as the biggest friend of North Macedonia with 37 percent,” said Eurothink Executive Director Dimitar Nikolovski at a meeting with the media on Wednesday.

Aleksandar Stojanovski from Eurothink noted that a decline in the citizens’ trust in the institutions can be observed in the results of the survey.

“In 2020, 63 percent of respondents trusted in the Army, in 2022 only 39 percent. The trust in the President in 2020 stood at 37 percent, while in 2022 it’s 18 percent. Over the years, the percentage of citizens expressing their trust in the institutions is declining, and this decline can be observed in all institutions,” said Stojanovski. ad/nn/