Two-thirds of Romanians are optimistic about the EU’s future

Two out of three Romanians (66%) are optimistic about the future of the European Union, well above the European average (57%), according to the national report for Romania, part of the standard Eurobarometer 88 study. The values that best represent the European Union are human rights (34% Romania, 33% EU), democracy (32% Romania, 33% EU) and peace (32% Romania, 40% EU). “The Romanians continue to believe in Europe and the values it promotes. We need their confidence and dynamism in the construction of the future European Union, whose bases will be laid at the summit in Sibiu in 2019, during the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU,” said Angela Cristea, head of the European Commission representation in Romania. More than half of the Romanians tend to trust the European Parliament (56% compared to 45% of the European average) and the European Commission (50% compared to a European average of 42%). Confidence in national institutions is, however, lower. For example, 21% of Romanians trust the government, the Eurobarometer also shows. Also, 35% of Romanians expect the national economic situation to get worse in the next year. However, when it comes to the economic situation of the European Union, one in two Romanian citizens, similar to the EU average, says it is rather good and very good. When it comes to the future, 47% of Romanians believe that the European Union is heading in the right direction, the share being above the European average, by 17 percentage points. As far as Romania is concerned, 64% of Romanian respondents say the country is heading in the wrong direction. The standard Eurobarometer surveys are published twice a year, in summer and in winter, starting in 1974. Data for the standard Eurobarometer 88 were collected in Romania between November 5 and November 12, 2017, by TNS CSOP. The representative sample consisted of 1,062 people aged 15 and over. Data collection was done through face-to-face interviews. Eurobarometer: Romanians’ perception of EU, local economy in decline Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com