Germans, whose country takes over the six-month EU presidency on January 1, seem unenthusiastic about the prospect of Romania and Bulgaria joining the bloc, a new poll has shown.
A majority of Germans (53%) say they are opposed to Romania and Bulgaria becoming member states, while 39% are in favour of the bloc's latest expansion.
According to an Infratest Dimap poll reported in German daily Die Welt, opposition to enlargement is greatest in the conservative CDU and CSU camp. Respectively, only 33% are in favour of the two new countries joining the EU while a majority of the Social Democrats (49%) support enlargement, with 42% opposed.
Meanwhile, expectations among German citizens for the country's time at the helm of the EU are also low. Some 62% do not believe Berlin's presidency will improve the public image of the EU.
Germany was the last of the EU's existing 25 member states to ratify Bulgarian and Romanian accession by parliamentary vote, on November 24.