Economic concerns have overtaken energy autonomy in the latest EU survey of public opinion, with climate action slipping further down the list as defence emerges as the top priority.
According to the Eurobarometer poll, which surveyed 26,410 Europeans across the EU’s 27 member states, 37% said the Union should focus on defence and security to strengthen its role on the world stage. The economy, competitiveness, and industry followed with 32%, while energy independence, which was cited by 27% of respondents, dropped from second place last year. Climate action was named by just 17%.
“EU citizens want Europe to focus on security and the economy. They look to the EU for stability and expect a strong and united European voice in today’s uncertain world,” said European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
Monika Alpoegger of the Parliament’s Public Opinion Monitoring Unit noted that climate concerns peaked after the 2019 European elections but have since declined.
“It’s true that climate change was very high after the last European election in 2019, and that it has lost a bit of importance,” she said, while cautioning that the results should not be read as strict trends due to the varying questions and topics addressed in different Eurobarometer surveys.
Climate change, the second-most important issue for Europeans during the 2019 “green wave”, has steadily lost ground as the COVID-19 pandemic, security concerns, and rising living costs and inflation have shifted public priorities.
Now, climate action and emission reductions rank eighth among citizens’ priorities, both for strengthening the EU’s global role and for guiding the European Parliament’s work.
Opinions also varied widely across countries and age groups. In Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands, for example, tackling climate change is still seen as a top priority.
“Generally speaking for younger people [climate action] is still way more of a priority than for other segments of society,” Alpoegger added.
The findings are likely to bolster the European Commission’s resolve as it presses on with a deregulation agenda that has already seen Ursula von der Leyen’s second Commission roll back several Green Deal laws adopted during her first term between 2019 and last year.
The issues raised by the poll are expected to inform the debate at next week’s plenary session in the European Parliament, where von der Leyen will answer questions from MEPs after delivering her annual State of the Union speech.
(rh, de)
