Los ciudadanos europeos quieren que la UE proteja y actúe juntos

President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, stated: «Two-thirds of Europeans want the EU to play a more significant role in their protection. This is a clear call to action, to which we will respond. Tomorrow.»

66% of EU citizens want the Union to take on a more important role in protecting them from global crises and security risks. This sentiment is particularly strong among younger respondents. Nationally, support for a greater EU role ranges from 87% in Sweden to 47% in Romania and 44% in Poland.

Nearly three-quarters of EU citizens (74%) believe their country has benefited from EU membership. This is the highest recorded result in a euroBarometer survey since the question was first asked in 1983. In the current context, respondents cite the EU’s contribution to peace and security (35%) as the main reason why membership is considered beneficial.

Furthermore, there is a broad consensus among EU citizens that member states should act with greater unity to address current global challenges (89%) and that the union needs more resources to tackle future challenges (76%).

In the case of Spain, 72% of citizens want the EU to play a more prominent role in global crises and security, six points above the Union average. 76% believe that Spain has benefited from being part of the EU, a higher average than the European average (74%).

While peace and security are considered the main reasons for EU membership being beneficial as a whole, Spaniards prioritize economic growth as the main benefit (39%). The second most appreciated benefit is the creation of job opportunities (27%), with peace and security coming in third (26%).

A vast majority of Spaniards, 93%, also believe that member states should act with greater unity to address current global challenges. 85% believe that the union needs more resources to tackle future challenges.

Citizens expect the EU to strengthen security and defense and improve competitiveness.

In a rapidly changing geopolitical environment, defense and security (36%), as well as competitiveness, economy, and industry (32%), are identified as areas where the EU should focus on strengthening its position in the world. These issues were also crucial for the European Council last week, where the President of the Parliament called for faster action and higher ambition. While results related to defense and security remained stable compared to February/March 2024, those related to competitiveness, economy, and industry increased by five points. These areas are followed by energy independence (27%), food security and agriculture (25%), and education and research (23%).

Economic and security issues are also the areas where citizens want the European Parliament to focus. Four in ten Europeans mention inflation, rising prices, and the cost of living (43%), followed by the EU (31%), combating poverty and social exclusion (31%), and supporting the economy and job creation (29%). (57%), France (56%), Slovakia (56%), Croatia (54%), and Estonia (54%).

In Spain, education and research are considered the primary area for the EU to focus on strengthening its position in the global domain (40%). Defense and security, identified as the primary area in the EU as a whole, rank fifth in Spain, mentioned by 20% of respondents. Ahead of it are competitiveness, economy, and industry (30%), food security and agriculture (26%), and EU values, including democracy and human rights (24%).

Regarding the issues Spaniards want the European Parliament to address, nearly four in ten (44%) indicate inflation, rising prices, and the cost of living. This is followed by support for public health (40%), an issue that only 25% of Europeans indicate as a priority for the European Parliament. In turn, security and defense, ranked second in the EU, fall to tenth place in the Spanish case, with 14% of mentions.

As in the previous Eurobarometer of the European Parliament, inflation and the cost of living have played a key role in recent European elections, and the economic situation remains a central concern for many Europeans. A third of respondents (33%) expect their standard of living to decrease in the next five years, seven more than in June-July 2024. This is particularly notable in France (53%, another eight points) and Germany (47%, another fifteen points).

Additionally, a third of Spaniards believe that their standard of living will decrease in the next five years (33%), although 19% expect an improvement, five points more than the EU average.

Peace and democracy remain fundamental values of the EU.

Regarding the values that Europeans want the European Parliament to defend, Peace (45%), democracy (32%), and the protection of human rights within and outside the EU (22%) top the list. The results of this question remained stable, demonstrating strong support from citizens for the fundamental values and principles of the EU.

Two-thirds of citizens support a stronger role for the European Parliament.

Historical data shows that during times of crisis, citizens turn to the EU for decisive actions and solutions. When the EU is perceived as united and efficient, support indicators are high, as is the case today. 50% of respondents have a positive image of the EU. In the last decade, this positive perception was only higher (52%) in the spring of 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The positive image of the European Parliament remains at a high level (41%). Shortly after the start of the legislature, more than six in ten citizens (62%) would like a more relevant role for the European Parliament, representing a six percent increase from February-March 2024, a few months after the European elections in June 2024.

38% of Spaniards have a positive image of the European Parliament, a percentage that remains stable in June-July 2024, while 78% would like it to play a more significant role, two points higher than a year ago and significantly above the European average.

You can check the full survey results.

Technical File

The Winter 2025 Eurobarometer Study of the European Parliament took place between January 9 and February 4, 2025, in the 27 EU Member States. Interviews were conducted in person, supplemented with video interviews in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Malta, the Netherlands, and Sweden. In total, 26,354 interviews were conducted. The results at the European level are weighted according to the population size of each country.