Brussels, 10 July 2023 (MIA) - Levels of trust in the EU have considerably risen in most candidate countries since winter 2022-2023, shows the latest Standard Eurobarometer survey published on Monday. According to the Eurobarometer data, the level of trust in the Union observed in North Macedonia has gained one percentage point and now stands at 48%. 

As regards the other candidate countries, the highest levels of trust are observed in Albania (77%, +6), followed by Montenegro (54%, +7), then Moldova (44%, +2), Türkiye (41%, +12) and Serbia (32%, +2).

In terms of the general perception of the EU, 47% of the EU population tend to trust the EU, 45% of EU citizens have a positive image of the EU, while 63% of EU respondents say that they are optimistic about the future of the EU, MIA reports from Brussels. 

According to the survey, conducted in June 2023, Europeans continue to back overwhelmingly the energy transition and to expect massive investment in renewables. They continue to widely approve measures taken by the EU to support Ukraine and Ukrainians, and they also wish EU defence to benefit from strengthened cooperation and from increased spending.

On the other hand, while inflation remains a major concern, perceptions of the economic situation and economic expectations are improving. Thus, a majority of Europeans believe that NextGenerationEU, the EU’s €800 billion recovery plan, can be effective to respond to the current economic challenges. 

Eurobarometer's data show that 85% of the respondents think that the EU should invest massively in renewable energies, such as wind and solar power, whereas 82% believe that increasing energy efficiency of buildings, transport, and goods will make the Union less dependent on energy producers outside the EU. In addition, 80% believe that EU Member States should jointly buy energy from other countries to get a better price.

As many as 81% of respondents agree that reducing imports of oil and gas and investing in renewable energy is important for our overall security, and 82% say that the EU should reduce its dependency on Russian sources of energy as soon as possible.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, 88% of EU citizens are in favour of providing humanitarian support to the people affected by the war and 86% are in favour of welcoming into the EU people fleeing the war. 75% approve of financial support to Ukraine and 72% back economic sanctions on Russian government, companies and individuals.

Furthermore, 66% agree with banning state-owned media such as Sputnik and Russia Today from broadcasting in the EU and 64% support financing the purchase and supply of military equipment to Ukraine. 64% also agree with the EU granting candidate status as a potential member of the EU to Ukraine.

All in all, 56% of respondents are satisfied with the EU’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and 54% are satisfied with the response by their national government.

In this context, 77% of Europeans are in favour of a common defence and security policy. 80% think that cooperation in defence matters at EU level should be increased, 77% believe that Member States’ purchase of military equipment should be better coordinated, 69% would like the EU to reinforce its capacity to produce military equipment and 66% say that more money should be spent on defence in the EU.

As much as 77% agree that the EU should build partnerships with countries outside the EU to invest in sustainable infrastructure and connect people and countries around the world, whereas 69% believe that the EU has sufficient power and tools to defend the economic interests of Europe in the global economy.

In terms of economic perceptions, 45% of respondents now think that the situation of the European economy is good (+5 pp since January-February). 55% of Europeans think that the EU recovery plan worth €800 billion, NextGenerationEU, can be an effective measure to respond to the current economic challenges. 

In the euro area, support for the single currency remains very high (78% vs. 17%), while it is slightly lower for the EU as a whole (71% vs. 23%). 

Inflation is still a major concern, but less than at the beginning of the year. 27% of Europeans think that ‘rising prices/ inflation/ cost of living’ is one of the two most important issues facing the EU at the moment (-5 pp since January-February). The international situation comes second at 25% (-3 pp), closely followed by immigration (24%, +7 pp) and the ‘environment and climate change’ (22%, +2 pp). Energy supply (16%, -10 pp) has seen a sharp decrease, dropping from the third position to the sixth.

The Standard Eurobarometer survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews between May 31 and June 21, 2023, across the 27 EU Member States. 26,425 EU citizens were interviewed in the EU. Some questions were also asked in twelve other countries or territories.