Two-thirds (66%) of European citizens want the European Union to play a greater role in protecting them against international crises and security risks, while half (50%) acknowledge that this protective role has increased in recent years, according to a Eurobarometer survey published by the European Parliament on Tuesday 25 March.
This demand for protection is more widespread among young people under 25 (70% of them) who responded to the survey. At Member State level, the results in favour of strengthening the EU’s role range, for example, from 87% in Sweden, 73% in Germany, 72% in Spain, 63% in Italy, 61% in France and 47% in Romania to 44% in Poland.
“Europe must be stronger so that our citizens feel safer”, said European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, promising to respond to this “clear call to action“.
Unsurprisingly, respondents believe that in future the EU should focus mainly on the areas of defence and security (36%). In their view, the European Union should be more united and have greater resources at its disposal to meet today’s challenges.
Economic issues are still very much on the minds of Europeans, according to the Eurobarometer survey. 43% of those questioned urged the European Parliament to prioritise tackling rising prices and preserving purchasing power, 31% asked it to step up the fight against social exclusion and poverty, and 29% called for more measures to promote growth and job creation.
See Eurobarometer results: https://aeur.eu/f/g3k (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)