Brussels, 2 December 2022
Public support for the euro remains very strong, according to the European Commission’s latest Eurobarometer survey. The survey finds that 77% of respondents believe that having the euro is a good thing for the EU and 69% believe it is a good thing for their own country.
In addition, the results show a high level of support for the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the instrument at the heart of NextGenerationEU: 75% of respondents back the idea of a recovery plan supporting all Member States, on conditions that they make green, digital and social investments and reforms.
The results also show strong support for SURE, the €100 billion instrument designed to protect jobs and incomes affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The vast majority of respondents (80%) believe that it was good to provide EU loans to help interested Member States keep people in employment in such a context.
The survey also sought citizens’ views on certain questions related to euro coins and banknotes. It found that 64% of respondents are in favour of abolishing 1- and 2-euro cent coins, reflecting a high and stable level of support with absolute majorities in all euro area countries.
The Eurobarometer survey was conducted among some 17,800 respondents from the 19 euro area Member States, between 3 and 11 October 2022, measuring public perceptions of the EU financial support provided to EU Member States to overcome the COVID-19 crisis. The full results are available here.
Source – EU Commission