Spaniards place less emphasis on security and defense than the rest of the EU
89% of Europeans demand that European Union Member States unite more in the face of current global challenges, and 76% advocate for greater resources, in a survey amid concerns about security and defense, an issue that participants identify as a priority for the EU.
In the midst of the debate on European security and defense, the Winter Eurobarometer reflects precisely that 36% of Europeans consider this area a priority for the EU to strengthen in the future, followed by competitiveness and the economy (32%) and energy (27%).
The survey, in which more than 26,000 people participated, indicates that security is the most frequently mentioned issue in countries in the north and east of the continent, such as Lithuania, Poland, and Germany, while southern member states, such as Italy, Portugal, and Greece, point to the economy. Spain, Malta, and Cyprus believe the EU should focus on education and research.
Thus, European citizens advocate a greater role for the EU in the face of global crises and security risks. Two-thirds of respondents, 66%, believe that the EU’s future role should be greater in protecting citizens from global crises and security risks, although there are large differences within the EU, with Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic below 50%.
In any case, an overwhelming majority, 89%, does call for greater unity among Member States in the face of crises—only in the Czech Republic and Romania does the figure fall below 80%—while 76% advocate for the EU to have more resources to address global challenges, an issue that garners broad support in countries such as Finland, Cyprus, and Malta, and less support in Slovenia and Slovakia.
SPAIN LESS CONCERNED ABOUT SECURITY
Compared to the rest of the EU, Spanish citizens are more likely to believe that the bloc should play a greater role in citizens’ security (72%), and their demand for the EU to unite in times of crisis is also higher than that of the bloc (93%).
Likewise, 85% call for the EU to provide itself with more resources to respond to current crises, also above the European average of 76%. In contrast, Spaniards are less concerned about security and defense, and while 36% of Europeans believe the EU should focus on these issues, in Spain that figure remains at 20%.
The decline in interest in climate issues is reflected equally in Spain and the rest of the European bloc. Of the total respondents, 18% believe the EU should focus on climate issues in the future, while 14% of Spaniards see this as the case. The drop compared to the previous Eurobarometer survey is 13 points in Spain and 6 points compared to the European average.
EU BENEFITS AT A RECORD NUMBERS
The survey shows a record positive perception of the EU among Member States, with 74% of citizens stating that their country has benefited from joining the bloc.
This is the highest figure since 1983, when Eurobarometer began asking this question in its surveys. This figure consolidates the upward trend of the EU in the Member States themselves. A decade ago, in 2015, 60% of respondents noted the positive impact of the EU on their Member States, and since the end of 2020, this figure has consistently reached at least 70%.
In the case of Spain, 76% of respondents believe that the country has benefited from joining the EU, slightly above the European average, and in contrast to Italy, Latvia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Greece, France, and Bulgaria, where less than 70% of respondents believe that EU membership has benefited their country.
