The proportion of Belgians who profess to see the EU in a positive light is at its highest since 2007, the European Parliament said on Wednesday, based on a new poll from Kantar.
The national results vary greatly, “from 76% in Ireland to 42% in Cyprus," and the weighted result for the EU as a whole is barely over half, at 52%. Indeed, despite being at its highest level in 15 years, only 51% of respondents in Belgium say that the EU evokes a “very” or “fairly” positive image.
The results are based on 26,578 interviews carried out from mid-April to mid-May in the 27 Member States with people aged 15 and over — including 1,101 in Belgium.
The remaining respondents have either a “neutral” image (36% EU, 34% Belgium) or a "negative" image (12% EU, 14% Belgium) of the EU. 1% of Belgians were unable to give an opinion.
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Although opinion is clearly split as to whether the EU is seen as being an effective alliance, three-quarters of Belgians do consider Belgium's membership of the Union a good thing.
This drops to 65% as an average of all Member States but still indicates that despite not being effusive in their praise, most Europeans would still prefer to remain within the body rather than leave it entirely.
Citizens were also asked about the consequences of the war in Ukraine and European sanctions against Russia, as well as how this impacts Europe's energy supply. A majority, both in the EU (59%) and in Belgium (65%), totally or usually agree with the need to defend common values as a priority, even if this has an impact on the cost of life.
Around 6 in 10 respondents say they are “not ready” for higher energy and food prices.
