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By Jan Strupczewski
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Support for the European Union among citizens is at a record high, with three quarters saying membership of the bloc is beneficial because of its role in protecting peace and strengthening security, a Eurobarometer poll showed on Tuesday. The poll, conducted for the European Parliament in January and February, found that 74% EU citizens thought their country benefited from EU membership - the highest recorded since the question was first asked in 1983. After three years of war in Ukraine on Europe's eastern flank, the survey comes amid fears that Moscow may attack an EU member in the coming years and doubts about the future of U.S. protection for Europe via the NATO defence alliance. "The main reason why people think that EU membership is beneficial has changed: protecting peace and strengthening security has gained three points since the summer and is now in first place with 35%," Eurobarometer said.
The previous top reason, improved cooperation between EU countries, lost two points to poll at 34%, it said. While the EU has a limited role in security and defence policy - an area that falls under national competencies - the bloc has moved to step up joint defence spending, joint procurement and to develop its defence industry to deter a potential attack from Russia.
The survey, carried out through 26,354 face-to-face interviews in all 27 EU countries, showed the economy was still the main concern of EU citizens.
One third expect their standard of living to decrease over the next five years, a seven point deterioration against mid-2024 and 43% are keen for EU institutions to focus on tackling rising living costs. Almost a third of citizens were worried about the EU's industrial competitiveness, a five point increase in the past year, Eurobarometer said, as Europe's companies face tough competition from China and the United States. Two thirds of citizens said they wanted the EU's role in protecting citizens from global crises and security risks to become more important, Eurobarometer said, while 50% recognise that this protective role has already grown in recent years.
(Reporting by Jan Strupczewski; Editing by Ros Russell)
