Survey: Majority of Germans sees EU positively
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With the European elections approaching, Germans have a predominantly positive image of the European Union. Three out of four German citizens (76 per cent) consider their country's membership in the EU a good thing, according to a representative survey published by the European Parliament. A new EU Parliament will be elected between May 23 and 26. Data for the survey was collected in late February and early March.
The numbers in Germany are significantly higher than in the remaining member states. Overall, 61 per cent of Europeans believe that their country's EU membership is a good thing, while 68 per cent said their country benefited from EU membership. The only country where the majority does not agree with the latter viewpoint is Italy.
The survey's EU average is made up of results from all EU member states with the exception of the UK. At the time of the survey, the UK's exit from the EU was scheduled for March 29. Meanwhile, Brexit has been postponed until the end of October at the latest.
Thirty-seven per cent of Britons in the survey said they would vote for Brexit in a new referendum, while 45 per cent said they would vote in favor of EU membership. The remaining 18 per cent were uncertain - in comparison with the Eurobarometer of half a year ago, the number has increased by six percentage points. In the 2016 referendum, almost 52 per cent voted in favor of Brexit. In Germany, according to the survey, 80 per cent of citizens are in favor of staying in the EU.
For a majority of Germans, the most important election topic is climate and environmental protection. This was stated by 55 per cent of respondents, an increase of 3 percentage points compared to September. In second place with 48 per cent - eight per cent less - is the issue of migration. In spite of the general approval of their countries' EU membership, many Europeans believe the current situation in the EU to be negative. One in two people said things were going in the wrong direction.
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