Big drop in support for EU

Malta's support for EU membership has seen a sharp decline a year after accession.

According to the results of a Eurobarometer survey conducted in Malta by Misco on behalf of the EU, support for membership stands at 40 per cent, a decline of 10 percentage points compared to March 2004 and five per cent down from a similar survey completed in the autumn of last year.

On the EU Constitution, Maltese support decreased by six per cent to 50 per cent compared to the last Eurobarometer survey. At the same time the number of "don't knows" increased by six per cent to 30 per cent while those opposing the Constitution have remained constant at 20 per cent.

The survey was conducted between May 12 and June 6 and 500 respondents replied to a set of questions including some about the economic situation and the introduction of the euro.

Following the publication of the EU-wide results in Brussels yesterday, the EU Commission said that overall support for EU membership across the 25 member states was down by two per cent to 54 per cent.

The new member states are less enthusiastic then they were before membership and the average support in the 10 new accession states now stands at 51 per cent. But only nine out of every 100 new EU citizens believe EU membership is a bad thing.

Although a decline in EU support was registered in all member states, Malta's backing for EU membership is now the third lowest. Only in the UK (36 per cent) and surprisingly in Austria (37 per cent) is it lower.

Compared to last autumn, the number of Maltese declaring that EU membership is a bad thing for the island increased by two per cent to 19 per cent, while the biggest increase was registered among those saying that EU membership is neither a good nor a bad thing.

Thirty-six per cent of the Maltese now stand in the latter category, an increase of six percentage points in just six months. The number of respondents who didn't express an opinion stood at five per cent, four percentage points less than last autumn.

In contrast to the weakening of declared support for membership, the majority of Maltese said that when one takes everything into consideration, Malta has benefitted from EU membership. Fifty-three per cent held this view, an increase of two per cent compared to six months ago. The number of people that did not agree with this remained the same at 30 per cent.

The results of the survey show other important aspects related to the EU.

Support for the introduction of the euro in Malta is on the increase. Half the population is now in favour, an increase of four percentage points over autumn, while opposition increased only by one per cent to 40 per cent. Ten per cent of respondents said that they did not have an opinion on this subject.

Asked about what they view as the most important issues faced by the country at the moment, 42 per cent mentioned the economic situation. Unemployment is also very important on people's minds at 40 per cent, while the biggest increase of priorities was registered in relation to pensions, an increase of five percent to place third at 20 per cent.

Respondents were also asked about their perception of the coming 12 months.

In general, people are more positive than they were six months ago. Those who feel that the economy will fare better increased by three per cent to 23 per cent and those expecting the economy to worsen dropped by 10 per cent to reach 36 per cent.