A new survey published on Friday by French geopolitical journal Le Grand Continent shows that a slim majority of respondents in seven European Union countries, including Belgium, consider US President Donald Trump to be "an enemy of Europe".
Overall, 51% of those surveyed described Trump as hostile to Europe, compared with 8% who see him as "a friend of Europe".
A further 39% said he was "neither one nor the other", while 2% did not know. The poll was carried out by research institute Cluster17 among a total sample of 7,498 people, selected using quota methods.
The survey covered France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, Denmark and Poland, with more than 1,000 respondents in each country.
Interviews were conducted between 13 and 19 January, shortly after Trump stated his intention to acquire Greenland from Denmark. He later said he would not use force to achieve what he described as a crucial objective.
The perception of Trump as an enemy was shared by respondents in six of the seven countries. Poland was the exception, where only 28% held that view.
In the country, which borders Russia and has traditionally relied on the United States for protection against potential threats from Moscow, 48% said Trump was neither an ally nor an enemy.
In Denmark, historically one of Washington’s closest European partners but now under pressure over Greenland, 58% of respondents described Trump as an enemy, the same proportion as in Spain. In Belgium, 56% of those surveyed said they viewed him as hostile.
The study also highlights uncertainty over how the EU should position itself towards Washington. Across the seven countries, 46% favoured an EU stance of opposition to the US administration, while 44% preferred compromise. Only 10% supported alignment.
Finally, amid rising global tensions, a large majority of respondents, 73% overall and 79% in Belgium, said the EU should rely on itself to ensure its defence rather than count on US support. Only 22% believed the EU could still rely on the United States.
