The three priorities values

“The Eurobarometro survey shows that, just before the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaties that established the Community, “the citizens clearly associate the Union with such universal values as human rights, peace and democracy”. MARGOT WALLSTRÖM , deputy president of the Eu Commission, comments the Eurobarometro survey disclosed on 19th December. For the first time the opinion poll company collected not only comments about the integration process but also opinions on subjects of social and political interest and the values in which the Europeans believe. ACCESSION: CITIZENS ARE DIVIDED. As to the progress of the Union and its current difficulties, Eurobarometro checks three main indicators: the interviewees state that the “support of European belonging” received 53% affirmative answers (-2% less than last spring); the “perception of the benefits of belonging to the Eu” reaches 54% of agreement (unchanged); while the “image” of the Union is positive for 46% of the sample (-4%). In addition, the Eu is trusted more by the interviewees than their national governments. As a matter of fact, “citizens who think things are going in the right direction for the Eu are more than those who think the same about their own country (33% vs 28%)”. Wallström comments: “The Europeans are asking for a reform of the operation of the Eu, and people expect a lot” of the EU institutions. The Eurobarometro survey finds that “the gap between the supporters and the detractors of a new expansion of the Eu in the next few years is tiny”: 46% of the interviewees state they are happy about it, while 42% are against it. After all, “a vast majority of the citizens would like a common foreign policy” for all the member states (68%); even higher is the number of those who would like to have a joint security and defence policy (75%). PEACE AND DEFENCE OF LIFE. Comments about the “three priority values that best embody the Eu in the citizens’ eyes” are interesting: top of the list are human rights, followed by democracy and peace. Quite a different matter is that of the values to which the Europeans “attach the greatest importance at a personal level. In this case, top of the list is peace (52%), followed by the respect of human life (43%) and human rights (41%). After that, the interviewees voted for democracy and personal freedoms; it is worrying that, in this case, religion is bottom of the list. Of course, it must be borne in mind, as the experts always do, that the results of an opinion poll depend on the type of questions asked, the way the questions have been worded and the target sample. In addition, remarkable differences have been found between the states, depending on their cultural and social conditions and historical and religious traditions. NO TO CANNABIS, MISTRUST FOR FOREIGNERS. Eurobarometro then asked the sample to give an opinion on several topics. When asked whether “criminals should be more severely punished” (without specifying the crime), 85% said they agreed and 12% were against; such difference is accounted for by the ‘don’t’ knows’. 64% think more freedom and justice are needed, even at the cost of reducing personal freedom. 26% say they would like cannabis consumption to be made legal; “votes against” account for 68%. As to the presence of immigrants within the Community, the public opinion is divided, but, broadly speaking, a mistrust of foreigners still prevails. When asked whether immigrants “provide benefits to our countries”, 40% of the sample agree, while 52% disagree. As to authorising gay marriages, 49% of the Eu population are against, 33% are for. Even higher is the rate of “votes against” the adoption of children by gay couples: 61% are against, 32% are for. One can generally notice that the most “laicised” attitudes prevail in the Northern countries and in Central Europe, while the opposite is true of the Mediterranean and Eastern countries. THE IMPORTANCE OF RELIGION. When asked whether religion has “too relevant a place” in the European countries, 46% of the interviewees say “yes”, while 48% do not agree with this statement. “The europeans are divided as to the relevance of religion in society. The opinion poll shows minor differences depending on age, education and political preferences”. But the greatest differences “are found however between the countries”. The highest number of answers, according to which religion is excessively important in their country, have mostly been recorded in Cyprus (81%), Malta (70), Italy (63), followed by Slovakia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Spain. The lowest rates have been found instead in Estonia (20%), Finland (23%), Latvia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Denmark.