EU-DIGEST

35th anniversary

A special EU-Digest report on the 35th anniversary of Eurobarometer

EU-35 years of successful Eurobarometer polling

To mark this important event, the European Commission (with the support of the EC Representation in Paris), in cooperation with the French Presidency, the European Parliament and Sciences Po is organizing the anniversary conference in Paris today November 21 and tomorrow.

The main objective of Eurobarometer as a polling tool, founded in 1973, is to identify and analyze trends in public opinion in all Member States and in the Candidate Countries. The Paris conference aims to discuss the role of public opinion polls in developing a European public sphere. The conference will focus on several crucial topics, like: the upcoming EP elections, lessons learned from European referenda, public debate on tomorrow's Europe, Eurobarometer's methodological challenges.

The event today brings together representatives of significant influence and expert knowledge from EU institutions, EU member states, politicians, academics and journalists. Among the many confirmed keynote speakers are: Margot Wallström, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, Nicole Fontaine, Jacques Santer, Noëlle Lenoir, Henning Christophersen, Gijs de Vries, Thierry Saussez, and Jacques-René Rabier.

Labels: EU, Eurobarometer, France, Green Policy, Political, Polling

Latest report on European attitudes towards the issue of biodiversity

Only a minority of respondents in all Member States disagreed that it was either our moral obligation to slow down the speed of biodiversity loss or that it would be important to halt the loss as it could cause a decrease in our well-being and the quality of life. Maltese and Greek interviewees, (85% and 84%, respectively), were the most likely to strongly agree that it was important to halt biodiversity loss simply because it was our moral obligation as stewards of nature. In almost all other Member States, a majority of respondents also strongly agreed with this statement, the exceptions being the Netherlands and Sweden, where slightly less than half of respondents strongly agreed that it was a moral obligation (47% and 48%, respectively). Respondents from Malta and Greece (80% and 78%, respectively), were also the most likely to strongly agree that it would be important to slow down the current speed of biodiversity loss because the levels of well being and the quality of life would deteriorate as a consequence of biodiversity loss. The Dutch respondents were again the least likely to strongly agree with this statement (30%).Biodiversity loss at a global level was considered to be more important than biodiversity loss at a national level. Almost seven out of 10 EU citizens thought that the decline and possible extinction of animal species, natural habitats and ecosystems were very serious global problems.

Labels: Environment: climate change, EU, Eurobarometer

The EU's relations with its neighbors

The report commissioned by the European Commission focuses on the attitudes towards the EU by its neighbors and those of the EU towards its neighbors. 67% of the EU Citizens consider the relationship of the EU with its neighbors to be good.

Labels: EU, Eurobarometer, Polls: Perceptions