The European Parliament (EP) published the newest edition of its biannual opinion survey, the Eurobarometer, proudly touting that the European Union’s approval rating has broken new a record at 74%, and that the majority of Europeans expect the EU to be more united in the face of security threats (89%) and to play a greater role in tackling global challenges (66%).
In other words, Brussels is trying to claim a broad mandate to follow its current course of action—rapid militarization, driven by the debt-fueled €800 billion ReArm Europe plan and supporting Ukraine “as long as it takes.” This comes at the cost of bypassing those few protesting member states who don’t agree with sharing financial liabilities or escalating the war with Russia, all for the sake of “unity.”
As always, the devil is in the details, which the EP’s summary mentions only at the end. Here, we see that the economy is still the biggest concern on everybody’s mind, and that people in their droves are giving up the dream of living better . Of course, you won’t find this in the Eurocrats’ triumphant social media posts.
74% of Europeans say their country benefits from EU membership—the highest support recorded in 42 years.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) March 25, 2025
With peace and security top of mind.
66% want a greater role for Europe in protecting them against global crisis & security risks.
We hear you. And we’re ready to deliver.
When you look at the top priorities that Brussels should tackle first, according to the survey, “inflation, rising prices, and the cost of living” are the number one category, chosen by 43% of Europeans. Then there’s a tie in the second place between “the fight against poverty” and “defense and security” (both at 31%), followed by “the creation of new jobs” with 29%.
The categorization is somewhat misleading, as you could arguably combine the cost of living crisis with the poverty and unemployment items, which would result in a much higher proportion of those wishing to focus on the economy rather than defense.
Accordingly, 33% of Europeans expect their standards of living to drop in the next five years—a whopping seven-point decrease in just six months—compared to only 14% who think they’ll do better by the end of the decade. France and Germany are particularly pessimistic in this regard, with 53% and 47% respectively predicting a drop in their quality of life.
Instead of these figures, the EP’s report focuses on a new question, which asked respondents what Brussels should focus on “to reinforce its position in the world.” Framing it like this, the first answer was defense and security (36%), followed by the economy and competitiveness (32%), and energy independence and infrastructure (27%).
Put on a map, these findings also divide Europe into two geographical blocs, with near-perfect separation. Respondents in North-Western European countries—those north of Spain, Italy, Austria, and Hungary—think that defense should be the number one global priority; while every country below this line (including these four) chose either economy, agriculture, or education, with defense not even among the top three in many. Whereas the main divide in Europe is between the EU and the Brussels elite, a regional divide over public priorities is also taking shape.
The questions about whether the EU should play a greater role (66%) or should be more united (89%) in tackling global security challenges are also tricky, if not outright misleading. These refer to the war in Ukraine without explicitly asking Europeans whether they approve of the EU’s approach to the peace process or the idea of stripping member states of their veto power in the Council to continue financing the war.
It’s not a coincidence that there is not a single direct mention of Ukraine in the study. The latest poll by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), published last month, confirmed the EU is still completely out of touch with what Europeans think about the war, just like it has been since the beginning.
For one, 53% of Europeans think Brussels should “push Ukraine towards negotiating a peace deal with Russia”—twice as many (27%) who believe the EU should help Kyiv continue the fight. The plurality is backing peace negotiations in every country that was surveyed, except for Estonia and Denmark.
Secondly, despite all the talk in Brussels about President Trump betraying the Western world, the majority of Europeans (73%) still consider Washington an ally—including 22% who say the U.S. shares “our interests and values”—compared to only 11% who see it as a ‘rival’ or ‘adversary.’
The support for the U.S. is the highest in Ukraine of all places, where 94% perceive it as an ally and only 4% don’t. More Ukrainians think that Trump’s presidency is “a good thing” for global peace (33%) and for Ukraine (26%), than expect Trump to have a negative impact (18% and 20%, respectively).
In short, Brussels is trying its best to hide the fact that public opinion is not on its side when it comes to the approach taken to Ukraine, Trump, and the peace process in general; and that Europeans are way more concerned about their struggling economies than any outside security threat (to warrant indebting future generations).
