"This survey conducted by Eurobarometro shows that, just before the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaties that established the Community, "citizens clearly associate the Union with universal values, such as man’s rights, peace and democracy". This is the first comment of Margot Wallström, deputy president of the Commission, on the publication of the Autumn survey by Eurobarometro. The Swedish MEP adds: "Citizens ask for a reform of the operation of the EU, and people are expecting a lot" of the Brussels’ and Strasbourg’s institutions. Eurobarometro surveys three main indicators: among the interviewees, the "support of European belonging" reaches 53% of positive responses (-2% than in the Spring survey); the "perception of the benefits of belonging to the EU" reaches 54% (same figure); while the "image" of the Union is positive for 46% of the sample (-4%). In addition, the EU is trusted more than the national governments. "The interviewees who think things are moving in the right direction within the EU are more than those who think the same about their own countries (33% versus 28%)".
