60% of Romanians interested in European elections, Eurobarometer survey reveals

Roughly 60% of Europeans are interested in the European elections, with the same percentage in Romania declaring their interest as well, according to a new Eurobarometer survey conducted at the request of the European Parliament.

A total of 74% of Romanian citizens say it is likely they will vote in the next European elections (55% of Romanians said it was likely they would vote before the 2019 elections), and 68% believe that voting is more important in the current geopolitical context.

By comparison, over eight out of ten Europeans (81%) believe that voting is more important in the current geopolitical situation. Six out of ten citizens (60%) are interested in the upcoming European elections from June 6 to 9, an increase of 11 percentage points from the same moment before the May 2019 vote.

The survey shows that France is the only EU country where interest in the European parliamentary elections has not increased from 2019 to now. Moreover, France ranks last in the "positive image of the European Parliament" indicator, with just 27%. Romania is in the upper half of the ranking, with 46% of respondents having a positive image of the European Parliament, above the EU average of 41%.

People’s perception of the EU is positive across the member states, with an average of 47%. Portugal is the country where the EU is best perceived (69%), followed by Ireland and Sweden. On the opposite end are the Czech Republic (33% positive perception), Austria, and France. Romania, with a 50% positive perception, is above the EU average.

About 71% of the citizens of the member states believe their country has benefited from EU membership, while in Romania the percentage is 65%, among the lowest in the entire Union. Only France, Italy, Austria, and Bulgaria rank lower than Romania in this respect.

Overall, 73% of citizens say that EU actions have an impact on their daily lives.

Greece, France, and Cyprus are the countries where respondents largely said that their standard of living has decreased in the last five years. Romania (with 46%) is at the EU average for this indicator.

Respondents across the EU have identified peace as the main value to be defended, followed by democracy and human rights. The war in Ukraine and Russia's aggressive stance make security one of the main topics of interest for European citizens at these elections. The Eurobarometer also shows that food security and agriculture rank third among the concerns of European citizens.

The importance citizens place on the defense and security of the EU has grown over the course of the parliamentary term, especially considering Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Currently, the defense and security of the EU are mentioned as the top campaign priority in nine countries, with the highest results in Denmark (56%), Finland (55%), and Lithuania (53%). Also, looking to the future, EU citizens indicate defense and security (37%) as the main priorities in strengthening the EU's global position, followed by energy issues and food security/agriculture (both at 30%).