EU10 Mostly Supportive for Bulgaria, Romania Entry

Politics » BULGARIA IN EU | December 19, 2006, Tuesday // 00:00

Support for EU enlargement tends to be considerably higher in the ten new member states than in the former EU15 countries, according to a latest study by Eurobarometer.

Support for expansion is strongest in Poland, with an increase of 4% from the spring survey, while sentiment fell "significantly'' in the UK and Spain. The Standard Eurobarometer poll was released by the European Commission just prior to the accession of Bulgaria and Romania.

In general, support for European Union membership among EU residents is declining as the bloc grapples with expanding eastward, the results

The latest Standard Eurobarometer poll was carried out between September 6 and October 10 and covered 30 countries in Europe.

Support for EU membership is strongest in Ireland, where 78% of respondents see it as a good thing. Sentiment dropped 10% in Hungary to 39% percent, and declined by 8% in the UK to reach 34%, according to the results of the survey.

Fifty-three percent of EU citizens believe their country's membership in the 25-nation trading bloc "is a good thing", down from 55% in a similar survey six months ago.

The EU, which took in ten mostly eastern European nations in 2004, is about to welcome Romania and Bulgaria on January 1. Meanwhile entry talks with Turkey were partially frozen last week over the Ankara government's refusal to recognize EU member Cyprus.

Most of the new members are struggling to qualify to adopt the euro, an EU requirement. Only Slovenia has passed the euro criteria and will join the single currency club at the start of the year.

"Now there is a much more negative atmosphere around the union and that is why the work is much more difficult,'' Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said at a Brussels press conference today to mark the end of his nation's six-month EU presidency.

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