The first, initial results of a Eurobarometer survey in the 13 candidate countries, published by the European Commission, show overall clear support for European Union membership, but citizens of these countries still feel under-informed about the EU and the enlargement process.
Commenting on the results, EU Enlargement Commissioner Gьnter Verheugen said : "I am aware that the survey reveals a desire for more information; the Commission is committed to continue its efforts, along with the candidate countries themselves, to contribute to a better understanding of what enlargement can mean".
Initial data from the survey:
On average, nearly 6 people in 10 (59%) in the Applicant Countries feel that EU membership would be a ‘good thing’ for their country with support ranging from 33% in Estonia and Latvia (against 14 and 17 % respectively who think it would be a "bad thing") to 80% in Romania. Support levels tend to be significantly higher in the Applicant Countries than they are in the EU.
Two thirds (65%) of the respondents of voting age in the Applicant Countries declare that they would support their country's membership to the EU if a referendum were to be held. At the time of the survey, the majority of eligible respondents in all 13 countries would have voted in favour of joining the EU (79%). The only country without a large majority in favour of accession is Malta, where 53 percent of eligible respondents indicate that they would have voted in favour.
More than 5 in 10 people in the Applicant Countries have a positive image of the European Union (52%) with only 18% saying that it conjures up a negative image. This is somewhat better compared to what the Eurobarometer has found among EU citizens, where on average 42% have a positive image and 18% have a negative image. At 70%, people in Bulgaria and Romania are most likely to have a positive image of the European Union. Malta is the only country where more than 3 in 10 people have a negative image of the European Union (34%).
At 97%, the European Union is the most widely known international organisation in the Applicant Countries but awareness of its institutions is less widespread: 72% of respondents have heard of the European Parliament and 60% have heard of the European Commission. In the EU Member States, awareness for these two institutions is 89% and 77%, respectively.
More than 6 in 10 citizens of the Applicant Countries trust the European Union (62%). This is higher than the level of trust found among EU citizens (41%). Trust is most widespread in Romania (74%) and Bulgaria (72%). People in Turkey (34%) and Malta (35%) are most likely to lack trust in the European Union. Due to low awareness levels, trust in the Union’s institutions is much less widespread. 41% of respondents trust the European Parliament, 35% trust the European Commission and 29% trust the Council of Ministers.
Nine in ten people living in the Applicant Countries have heard of their country’s bid to become a member of the European Union. Awareness levels range from 82% in Turkey to 98% in Cyprus and Malta. However, most people do not feel well informed either about their country's accession process or about EU enlargement as a whole. Only 28% say they are well informed about enlargement and only 29% feel well informed about their own country’s accession process. The proportion of people that feels informed about EU enlargement ranges from 17 percent in Estonia and Turkey to 54 percent in Slovenia. For the accession process, levels of feeling informed range from 18% in Estonia to 57% in Slovenia.
Large differences were found when respondents were asked to evaluate the current speed of their countries’ application process. In Turkey 39 percent characterises the process as ‘standing still’, while 22 percent of the Maltese feel that the accession process is ‘running as fast as possible’. Compared to the perceived current speed, we find that residents of Estonia and of Malta think that the process is going faster than they would like it to be. Respondents in Turkey and Romania, on the other hand, perceive the process to be much slower than what they would like it to be.
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