The Maltese public’s belief that things in the EU are heading in the right direction has plummeted by almost 40% in the space of a year, according to a Eurobarometer survey published on Tuesday.
In total, only 26% of Maltese say that things are going in the right direction in the EU today. This figure stood at 65% in a similar Eurobarometer survey held in the summer of 2022.
Meanwhile, 36% now say that things are headed in the wrong direction and a further 36% say they are unsure. These figures are up from 26% and just 4% respectively a year ago.
Malta’s confidence in the EU’s direction was previously drastically higher than that of any other EU member State, however these latest figures suggest that it has declined to reach the EU average.
The survey generally finds that uncertainty in the EU is on the rise across Europe, with fewer people believing that things are going in the right direction and an increasing portion of people on the fence.
On average, 26% of EU citizens now believe that things in the EU are headed in the right direction, down from 33% last year, while 39% say that they are not. A further 31% are unsure, a significant increase over the 6% that felt that way a year ago.
These findings come just a day before the EU’s annual State of the Union address, during which European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is set to outline the challenges that the Union will face over the coming years.
Curiously, some of the lowest levels of confidence were registered in Belgium, the seat of several key EU institutions, where only 19% say that things are going well and in von der Leyen’s home State of Germany, where this figure stands at 21%.
The lowest level across all of Europe was registered in Malta’s fellow Mediterranean island of Cyprus, where just 16% believe things are going in the right direction.
The survey results come just nine months before European citizens are set to head for the polls for June’s MEP elections.
Support for Ukraine on the decline
The survey also found that Maltese support for Ukraine’s plight appears to be shrinking. While some 81% previously agreed that the EU should continue imposing economic sanctions against Russia a year ago, this figure now stands at 65%, a little below the EU average of 71%.
Likewise, just under a third of Maltese now say that the EU should continue providing Ukraine with financial support while only just over half are in favour of the EU financing the purchase of military equipment and training for Ukrainian forces. These figures previously stood at 88% and 74% respectively.
Although the Maltese are still overwhelmingly in favour of providing humanitarian support, with 91% saying they either totally or tend to agree with these measures, they are now less open to welcoming people fleeing the war than they once were.
Support for the Ukrainian cause appears to be on the wane across Europe, with similar decreases being registered across most EU member states.
While 90% of European citizens agreed with welcoming people escaping the war in 2022, only 76% say the same thing today.
Popular support for sanctions against Russia has also dwindled to 71%.
Nonetheless, two-thirds of European citizens remain in favour of Ukraine’s eventual integration into the European Union.
The study, carried out during the last week of August, surveyed 500 people in Malta.