Back in 2010, at the height of the euro crisis, the European Union was pretty unpopular to say the least. Eurobarometer surveys at the time found that only 50% of Europeans thought their country benefitted from EU membership. But that was 15 years and five crises ago. Flash forward to today and this week’s Eurobarometer survey has found that 74% believe their country benefits - a record number.
Much of that has to do with Brexit. After Europeans saw the effect that leaving the EU had on the UK, they started to appreciate the union more and support for leaving the EU plummeted to almost nothing in continental Europe (which is why almost all far-right parties have stopped embracing the idea). Though this week’s figure is technically a new high, the percentage jumped up to 72% in 2020 and has hovered around there ever since (even through the pandemic). But the most notable thing about this week’s numbers is the reason why Europeans said their country benefits from EU membership. While in the past economic reasons always dominated this answer, now defence and security is being cited as the main reason. Two-thirds of Europeans want the EU to play a greater role in their protection, according to the survey.
For the 74% who say their country benefits from EU membership, most said it’s because the EU contributes to peace and strengthening security. Separately, asked which areas the EU should focus on, the biggest one citizens cited was defence and security. Competitiveness and the economy came second, followed by energy independence, food security, education, and democratic values.
This flies in the face of what national European politicians are telling us - that the main concern of Europeans right now is the competitiveness of the European economy.