Eurobarometer

So we're entering a more pragmatic period where the EU does not command enthusiasm anymore.

But if you look at the Eurobarometer polls, I mean, people strongly identify with Europe in the European Union.

I mean, the citizens do see themselves as Europeans.

People do not actually want to leave the EU anymore.

And we can ask...

Should that always be the priority? Should that be the priority of national enforcers too? So we invite to use those kinds of insights, right? The Eurobarometer can be one source of information.

We also invite competition authority to take complaints a bit more serious.

Try to think if they can give greater role to consumer organizations, to NGOs.

The student list voters, indeed.

And a recent Eurobarometer survey showed that 38% of Serbs support EU membership, but 30% say it would be a bad thing.

So it is still a divided picture over there.

Yeah.

Things might start moving.

And maybe at that point, that movement will see the fruits of the labor of working towards EU membership again.

And that Eurobarometer survey might go in the direction of EU membership again.

But hovering over all that is, of course, Putin and the attempts that he has at gaining influence in that region.

But if you look at the actual data, ordinary citizens want a pragmatic mix of both.

Yeah, the recent Eurobarometer poll data highlights this beautifully.

It shows that 75% of Europeans surveyed want their country to help refugees.

The empathy is absolutely there.

And I was struck because actually we have a bit of different data.

We have a survey that is called a Eurobarometer.

When we ask citizens, what do you think of this? What do you think of that? And actually the trust in AI, the positive views in AI were actually more than 60%.

And then there was a little addition provided that it's regulated and that there are safeguards.

So I think maybe the difference is that people responding to what you think about AI also think, oh, but is this trustworthy? Can I trust? Is this safe? And okay, our Eurobarometer was before all agents started going rogue and breaking into places.

So maybe now the figure would be different.

But I think that the element of trust, of knowing what will happen is really important.

But if it's existential for Europe, is it existential for Europeans? Do citizens see it as a non-negotiable the same way as their

governments might? All of the Eurobarometer figures, which are the most reliable ones that we have, and other public opinion figures show that in most jurisdictions in Europe, people are still very supportive of Ukraine, partly because they're seeing children killed every day, and it's on our television screens, partly because they have Ukrainian people living in their communities and cities, towns and villages.

So it's always there, and it's been remarkable, I think.

the extent to which public support for Ukraine in Europe has actually held its strongest, I think David suggested this, and it would seem intuitive, in Eastern Europe, because there the memory of Russian occupation and hostility and aggression is so palpable.

I think that is, uh, that is one of the, of the key questions and, and, uh, that are being debated, uh, uh, every day.

We know according to, well, Eurobarometer, that is a, a, a public polling system- About 80% of Europeans think that it's very important that we regulate AI, uh, because of safety reasons.

So it, it is, you know, an overwhelming majority of Europeans want to have trustworthy technologies, and I think the same goes, uh, for not only Europeans.

Uh, we see signals, uh, very concrete signals from the US, uh, uh, maybe not at the, uh, highest level, but, uh, um, everywhere below that, that this is the same worry about the, the safety of the systems, uh, that we develop.

We need to take the public opinion along.

And it's really clear that Eurobarometer data have highlighted that support for EU enlargement persists, but it is weaker, more contested and more politically volatile than in previous decades.

And enlargement does not rank among the most priorities for the EU when it comes to public opinion.

And then you refer to the referenda, and if you then realize that enlargement remains a minority in view of France, Czechia and Austria public opinion, I think this is really something where we need to tackle.

Pernille, Funda talked about the volatility of public opinion or public support for enlargements.

What would you recommend for mobilizing public support in the member states?

Yeah, so in the member states, if you look at the Eurobarometer, it shows support for enlargement at around 41%, I think, overall.

And it's very strong in the Nordic and Baltic countries, much more hesitant elsewhere.