Nearly three out of four EU citizens agree that the bloc should help Ukraine cope with the consequences of the Russian invasion, according to a Eurobarometer that broadly reflects a majority level of support for the European mobilization of recent months.
The majority of respondents in all member states are in favor of the support, with figures in the case of Spain hovering around 80 percent. Only in four countries – Bulgaria, Cyprus, Slovakia and Greece – does the figure fall below 50 percent, according to the survey conducted between October 12 and November 7.
In the case of the concrete measures adopted by the EU, from sanctions to military aid, these continue to have the support of 73 percent of Europeans -six points more in Spain-. All this in a context in which almost two out of three Europeans assume that their lives have changed as a result of the war that began more than nine months ago.
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, has advocated «solidarity» and «unity» as a response to Russian «terror». Ukrainians can count on the strong support of the European Parliament,» said Metsola, who lamented the «terrible human suffering» and the «trail of mass destruction» left by the conflict.
72 percent of the people surveyed consider that belonging to the EU is beneficial for their country, a figure that rises to 81 percent in the case of Spain and is the majority in all member states. The lowest figure is for Austria with 55 percent.
Maintaining peace and strengthening security is one of the main reasons given by the citizens interviewed, ahead of cooperation between EU countries and the bloc’s contribution to economic growth.
When asked which values the European Parliament should defend as a matter of priority, the most frequently mentioned was democracy (36 percent), followed by the protection of human rights in the EU and worldwide (29 percent) and freedom of expression and conscience (28 percent).
