Eurobarometer: Romanians, Europeans who believe the least in increased EU security role

Only 47% of Romanians said, at the latestEurobarometer that they wanted EU to assume a more important role in their protection against global crises and security risks, 19% lower than the European average (66%). On the other hand, Romanians are less pessimistic than Europeans about the drop of the standard of life in the next 5 years, 24% against 33%.   Asked about EU assuming a more important role in protecting them, 26% of interviewed Romanians said EU should play a less important role, compared to 10% the EU average, 24% said it should remain the same (21% in EU), while 3% said they did not know, according to the Eurobarometer releases by the European Parliament on Tuesday. Romania is last but one in the EU top from this point of view, Poland being the last. (44%). At the opposite pole we find Sweden, where 87% of citizens say EU should assume a more important role in their defense, followed by Finland, the Netherlands (84% each) and Cyprus (83%).   In fact, only 34% of Romanians think EU will play a more important role in the world in the years to come, against 44% at EU level.   Asked on which fields should EU focus to consolidate its stand in the world, the Romanians answered first of all food security and agriculture (32%), defense and security – 31%, competitiveness , economy and industry 29%. At EU level, defense and security rank first (36%), followed by competitiveness, economy and industry (32%) and energy independence, resources and infrastructure (27%).   Romanians are last in EU when it comes to the wish for higher solidarity at EU level in the present geopolitical context. Asked whether EU member states should be more united in facing the present global challenges, 75% of Romanians answered yes, followed by Czechia (78%), Poland and Estonia (83% each), while at the opposite pole we find Malta (98%), Denmark and Luxembourg (97%) and Cyprus (95%). The EU average in this case is not below 89%.   On the other hand, 71% of Romanians agree that EU needs more means to answer the present global challenges, when he EU average is 76%. The Slovenians, Slovaks and Czechs (63%) and Estonians (64%) think that EU needs more means to answer the new global challenges.   Asked which are the topics they would like to see approached with priority in the European Parliament, Romanians answered inflation, rising prices and costs of living (44%), supporting economy and creating new jobs (38%) and the fight against poverty and social exclusion (30%). Defense and EU security rank 6th, found in the answers of 22% of Romanians. At EU level, defense and security of the community block rank second, together with fight against poverty and social exclusion (both 31%), while inflation, rising prices and the cost of living rank first (43%).   The European Parliament image has deteriorated in general, in Romania, compared to the previous Eurobarmeter of June-July 2024, although the proportion of Romanians who think the image of the EU legislative is “totally positive”- 47% is higher than the EU average (41%). The level of people with very good opinion about EP dropped by 6% against the previous poll, while those who have a “fully negative” opinion about the EU forum grew by 14%, to 25%, higher than the EU average (19%).   While at the “fully positive” image chapter of EP Romania ranks 9th-10th in EU, next to Luxembourg (both47%), at the opposite pole , for “fully negative”image only 4 countries have an unfavorable or even more unfavorable perception – Austria and Belgium (25%), France (28%) and Czechia (30%).   However, the number of Romanians who think the EU legislative should play a more important role is rising by 5% against the latest Eurobarmeter (upt to 58%), the same tendency as at EU level, where the increase is 6% (62%).   The EU image is “fully positive'for 51% of Romanians (16th in EU) and “fully negative”for 13%, when the EU average is 50% for the first and 15% for the second chapters.   As for the deterioration of the living standard in the next 5 years, Romanians are more optimistic than the Europeans. About a quarter of Romanians (24%) say thei living standard will grow (against 14% the EU average), 49% say it will be the same, while 24% say it will be worse.   Romanians rank 10th for optimism in maintaining or increasing the living standard, the most optimistic being the Italians and Poles, only 11% and 12% think their living standard will deteriorate. At the opposite pole we find the French and Germans, 53% and 47% declaring their living standards will drop in the next 5 years.   Pessmism about the living standard in Estonia has grown (+18%), Germany (+15%), Slovenuia (+15%), Slovakia (+13%), while at the opposite pole we find Greece, Cyprus and Luxembourg, where the number of people who think the living standard will deteriorate dropped since the latest opinion pole.   About three quarters of EU citizens (74%) consider that their country has benefitted from being part of EU. This is the highest result ever recorded at EU level in an Eurbarometer for this question since 1983 when it was first asked, EP informs in a press release. The same as last year, 70% of Romanian citizens participating in the poll consider that Romania has benefitting from belonging to EU.   The EU contribution to peace keeping and consolidating seceurity are the mainreason why the quality of member is considered beneficial at European level (35%). Respondents from Romania consider that belonging to EU is beneficial first of all for new job opportunities (42%).   The January 2025 Eurobarometer poll was made between Jnauary 9 and February 4 in all 27 EU member states. It was a face to face poll, video interviews being used in Czechua, Denmark, Finland, Malta, the Netherlands and Sweden. There were 26,354 interviews and EU results are according to the size of population in each country, an EP press release informs.