Brussels, 2 September 2025 (MIA) - Seventy percent of Macedonian citizens support the country's European Union membership, with open borders, free trade and better quality of life as the perceived benefits of EU accession, shows the latest Eurobarometer special survey on enlargement in candidate countries and potential candidates.

When asked "When do you personally think North Macedonia will fulfil the accession criteria and become an EU Member State?", 27 percent of respondents say "In the coming 5 years", 35 percent say "Between 5 and 15 years", 16 percent say "It will take more than 15 years, but it will happen", another 16 percent "The country will never become an EU Member State", while 6 percent respond "Don't know".

Regarding EU's image, 23 percent of respondents have a "Positive image", 42 percent "Fairly positive", 20 percent "Neutral", 10 percent "Fairly negative", 4 percent "Very Negative", while 1 percent "Don't know".

Ninety percent of respondents say they are "Very well informed, "Well informed" or "Somewhat informed" about the country's EU integration process, while 70 percent consider the EU membership would bring more advantages than disadvantages.

On the perceived benefits of EU membership, 48 percent of citizens point to "Open borders, possibility to travel to other EU countries without a visa", 43 percent say "Free trade, duty-free zone", while 42 percent "Better quality of life and standard of living".

The top three perceived concerns of EU membership are "Youth drain and emigration" (44 percent), "More bureaucracy" (20 percent) and "The EU imposes too many regulations and limits national freedom" (17 percent).

When asked about the main obstacles currently preventing North Macedonia from becoming a member of the EU, 41 percent of respondents point to "Widespread corruption", followed by "Lack of rule of law/justice system not adequate" (38 percent) and "Disagreements with individual Member States" (37 percent).

According to the research, 51 percent of respondents believe "Support to North Macedonia's economic development" is the factor that could make country's citizens more positively disposed towards the EU, along with "Support to North Macedonia's closer integration process" (45 percent) and "Support for reducing corruption" (45 percent).

When asked about the areas where the European Union should play a greater role in supporting North Macedonia, citizens say "Economic development and trade" (39 percent), "Healthcare system" (32 percent) and "Support to youth" (24 percent).

Seventy-five percent of Macedonian citizens trust the EU, lower than the World Bank (79 percent) and the IMF (76 percent), but slightly higher than NATO (73 percent).

Regarding EU's financial support for the country, 93 percent of respondents are aware of it, 85 percent say it is high/very high or moderate, 46 percent believe that the EU is the largest financial contributor to North Macedonia, while 53 percent perceive EU financial support as effective or very effective.

Photo: European Commission