Plenary Insights – June 2022
Each plenary session, DG COMM provides relevant public opinion data on key topics on the agenda:
- Climate change/Fit for 55: Over three quarters of Europeans believe that climate change is a very serious problem at this moment. Nine in ten Europeans think that greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced to a minimum while offsetting the remaining emissions to make the EU economy climate neutral by 2050. (Eurobarometer survey on Climate Change)
- Conclusions of the special European Council meeting of 30-31 May 2022: Leaders of EU countries agreed on further sanctions against Russia for its attack on Ukraine. The majority of Europeans think that since the war started, the EU has shown solidarity (79%) and has been united (63%) and fast (58%) in its reaction according to a Eurobarometer on the EU’s response to the war in Ukraine. Eight in ten respondents approve economic sanctions against Russia.
- The EU’s Foreign, Security and Defence Policy after the Russian invasion of Ukraine: Three-quarters of respondents agree that the war in Ukraine shows the need for greater military cooperation within the EU. (Eurobarometer on the EU’s response to the war in Ukraine)
- The rule of law and the potential approval of the Polish national Recovery Plan (RRF): Four out of five EU citizens (81%) say the EU should only provide funds to Member States conditional upon their governments’ respect for the rule of law and of democratic principles. (Flash Eurobarometer on the State of the European Union). Only 24% of respondents in Poland rate the independence of courts and judges in their country as fairly or very good. (Eurobarometer on the perceived independence of the national justice systems in the EU among general public)
- 60th Anniversary of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): The EU’s main objective for agricultural and rural development policy should be providing safe, healthy food of high quality (62%), ensuring a fair standard of living for farmers (51%) and protecting the environment and tackling climate change 51%, according to a Eurobarometer survey on Europeans, Agriculture and the CAP. More than seven in ten respondents (73%) say they have heard of the support that the EU gives farmers through its Common Agricultural Policy.
- “This is Europe” debate with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin: Irish respondents put their country regularly among the most positive-minded EU countries and far above EU27 average, according to the 8th edition of socio-demographic trends - EP Eurobarometer (2007-2022).
- Turkey report: Support for Turkey’s EU membership among Turks remains high (61%) and is even higher in the 18–24 age group than in the general population (75%). (Survey on Turkish Perceptions of the European Union 2022 for the German Marshall Fund of the United States)