BRUSSELS – Trust in the European Union is even higher in the majority of Western Balkan countries than in the EU itself, while, with the exception of Serbia, more than 50% of the region’s inhabitants think that joining the EU would be a good thing. .
These are some of the results of the spring 2023 Eurobarometer survey, carried out in May and June in the EU and other countries on the continent.
In Kosovo, trust in the EU is 63%. These results are followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it is 57%, and by Montenegro, where it is 54%. In North Macedonia, 48% of citizens tend to trust the EU, compared to 46% who do not. In Serbia, only 32% of citizens tend to trust the EU, compared to 61% who do not.
The average score in the EU itself is 47% who tend to trust it and 45% who do not trust it, which means that the results in the Western Balkans, with the exception of Serbia, remain higher than those of the EU.
Regarding the feeling of attachment to the EU, 55% of citizens of North Macedonia feel attached to the Union, compared to 43% not. This result is close to the average score at EU level, which is 58% for those who feel attachment and 40% for those who do not.
In Kosovo, these percentages are 52 for those attached and 42 for those who are not. In other countries in the region, the feeling of attachment is below 50% – 49% in Montenegro, 41% in Bosnia and Herzegovina and only 23% in Serbia.
When asked if EU membership would be a good thing, 65% of Kosovo citizens answered yes, an increase of 1% compared to the previous Eurobarometer survey in January. In Montenegro, 63% of citizens believe this would be a good thing, an increase of 5% since January.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 60% of citizens believe that EU membership would be a good thing (previous data not available), while in North Macedonia the figure is 58%, a decline 2% since January.
In Serbia, only 31% of citizens believe that EU membership would be a good thing (down from 34% in January); 36% think it would be neither a good nor a bad thing, while 32% think it would be a bad thing.
Regarding the economic situation, citizens of Montenegro and Kosovo have the most positive assessments: 56% in Montenegro and 55% in Kosovo describe the economy as good. In Serbia, 34% of citizens say the same, while in Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia the situation is even worse – 26% and 21%, respectively.
In the EU, on average 40% of citizens believe that the economic situation in their country is good, while 58% consider it bad.