Brussels, 18/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - An opinion poll of 28,000 people across the EU published by Eurobarometer on Friday18 October shows that more than half of respondents thought bank supervision would be more effective at EU level.
On Tuesday 15 October, the ECOFIN Council gave final approval to a package of legislation to setup a single bank supervision mechanism under which the European Central Bank will directly supervise 130 big banks in the eurozone (see EUROPE 10942).
Asked about guarantees for citizens' bank deposits, 47% said that action at European level would be more effective than at national level, whereas 45% said the reverse, explains a European Parliament press release. On solving the crisis, 50% of respondents felt that Europeans would be better protected against the current crisis if their countries coordinated anti-crisis measures with other EU member states (down five points from June 2012), while 41% felt that they would be better protected if their country were to “go it alone” (up three points). For 74%, “jobs and combating unemployment” still top the list of priority policies.
Budget. When told that the EU budget accounts for about 1% of its member states' GDP, 39% of respondents judged this share “appropriate,” 22% “too small” and 13% “too big” (26% “didn't know”). In plenary next week, the European Parliament will not be voting on the EU's multiannual financial framework for 2014-2020 (see EUROPE 10945). (MB/transl.fl)