Public opinion
INTRODUCTION
The state of public opinion, in both the current and future member states of the EU is clearly a key factor in the communication strategy on enlargement . The communication strategy is designed to be responsive to the needs of the general public, and it is therefore important that the Commission be aware of the level of knowledge and of the key concerns of Europe's citizens. This section of the DG Enlargement web site aims to provide regular information about the state of pubic opinion as far as it relates to enlargement.The Commission monitors the state of public opinion in the member states on a number of issues via its regular "EuroBarometer" surveys. The issue of enlargement is also now included as a key issue in the surveys in the member states. In addition, the first annual EuroBarometer survey was carried out in thirteen candidate countries in autumn 2001. A further one will be carried out in September 2002.Thanks to its coherent approach across all countries, the Eurobarometer remains the Commission's main source of information. However, as a complement to this, and in order to provide as wide as possible a range of information on the issue, this section of the web site provides information gleaned from opinion polls conducted by other agencies. These may be carried out on the initiative of governments, of the local Commission delegation, or by others, but they all offer a insight into the state of public opinion.
APPLICANT COUNTRIES EUROBAROMETER
NEW !! Candidate countries Eurobarometer (CCEB) 2003.4 - Autumn 2003The latest Eurobarometer opinion poll carried out in the acceding and candidate countries shows a decline in public optimism about the economic situation. This general downturn in sentiment, which mirrors results in the current European Union Member States, appears to have affected confidence in public institutions, both national and European. However, support for the EU and its main policies remains strong in the ten countries which join the EU in May, as well as the three candidate countries.
First Results (+ Annexes) - [453kb] October 2003
Comparative highlights - [1340kb] November 2003
Press release 15 Dcember 2003 (IP/03/1722) : Eurobarometer : decline in public confidence in acceding countries, but continued strong support for core EU policies
Public opinion in the countries preparing for European Union Membership Publication on 22nd July 2003 of the full results of the Third Eurobarometer report from candidate countries. The Spring Eurobarometer CC-EB 2003.2 survey interviewed 12,098 people in the 10 countries joining the EU next year plus Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. Fieldwork was carried out between 2 and 31 May ). Click for the report and annexes, along with the first report comparing trends in the current and future member states.
Public opinion in the countries preparing for European Union Membership
Publication on 4th March 2003 of the FULL RESULTS of the Second Eurobarometer report from candidate countries
Full report and Annexes
Second Eurobarometer report on candidate countries published (Press release of 15 November 2002; IP/02/1682 )
Support for EU Membership in the candidate countries, 23.10.2002.This report draws on the results of a survey carried out in April 2002. It presents the level of support for and perceived benefits from EU membership, as well as voting intentions if a referendum were to be held about joining the European Union in each candidate country.
Public opinion in the countries applying for European Union Membership, 18.03.2002.
Final report (Release March 2002)
First Eurobarometer report on candidate countries published (Press release of 18 March 2002; IP/02/426)
Initial results (Press release of 10 December 2001; IP/01/1774)
MEMBER STATES EUROBAROMETER
First Results [1200kb] december 2003
Public opinion in the 15 member states of the European Union. Publication on 22nd July 2003 of the full results of the Eurobarometer # 59 survey for spring 2003. The survey, carried out between March 18 and April 30, in part during the hostilities in Iraq questioned 16,410 people over the age of 15 about their attitudes to the EU and other issues of current interest. Click for report and annexes, along with the first report comparing trends in the current and future member states.
Flash Eurobarometer 140 (March 2003) "Enlargement of the European Union"In the run-up to the signature of the Treaty of Accession, this is the third of a series of polls on attitudes to and knowledge of enlargement in the EU member states. It complements the existing Standard Eurobarometer, and is designed to discover more about the main concerns of EU citizens.
Flash Eurobarometer 132/2 (November 2002) "Enlargement of the European Union"This is the second of a series of quarterly polls on attitudes to and knowledge of enlargement in the EU member states. It complements the existing Standard Eurobarometer, and is designed to discover more about the main concerns of EU citizens in the run-up to the enlargement of the EU
Flash Eurobarometer 132/1 (September 2002) "Enlargement of the European Union". This is the first of a series of quarterly polls on attitudes to and knowledge of enlargement in the EU member states. It complements the existing Standard Eurobarometer, and is designed to discover more about the main concerns of EU citizens in the run-up to the enlargement of the EU
Standard Eurobarometer 57 . Fieldwork: March-May 2002. Publication: 21st October 2002
Eurobarometer 56 : Full results of Autumn 2001 poll (Press release of 23 April 2002; IP/02/603)
Eurobarometer 56 : Opinion poll shows increased support for EU (Press release of 14 December 2001; IP/01/1829)
II. Some recent polls in detail
Many polls go beyond the simple question of how people would vote in a referendum on EU Accession to pose questions of interest to those seeking to learn about how the public views the prospect of joining the EU.In this section we present some examples of more detailed polls sorted by country. The translations are often working translations, and copyright remains with the authors, who are indicated.
General
EU INDEX(tm) measuring confidence in the EU; readiness to join and economic expectations. Survey carried out by GfK Group ( , 251Kb )
BulgariaBulgarian public attitudes towards EU Accession ( , 136 Kb )
LatviaSummary of public opinion poll, Latvia May ( , 141Kb )
RomaniaIMAS: Over three fourths of Romanians would vote for country's accession to the EU ( , 61Kb )
