“EU citizens are increasingly skeptical of the US and believe that the bloc should conduct its own foreign policy and reduce ties with Washington.”, — write: www.ukrinform.ua
EU citizens are increasingly skeptical of the US and believe that the bloc should conduct its own foreign policy and reduce ties with Washington.
A growing number of EU citizens are distancing themselves from the US, according to a survey of more than 26,000 people in 27 EU member states. For example, about 49% of respondents believe that Washington is no longer their most important ally, instead naming such countries as Great Britain (13%) or China (10%).
The most skeptical of the US is Belgium, where only 43% of respondents consider the US to be their main military partner, while Poland has the highest rate of pro-American sentiment (65%). Italy has the highest rate of cooperation with China (13%).
With the exception of Poland, the majority (63%) of Europeans believe that the EU should reduce cooperation with the US and pursue an independent course. This opinion is particularly strong regarding foreign policy, where 73% of respondents want the EU to play a more active role.
The survey found that Europeans who are skeptical of the US are mostly young people between the ages of 18 and 35, with a lower level of education, left-wing views and mostly rural residents.
At the same time, those who are more favorable to the USA are usually over 55 years old, have higher education, center-right political views and live more often in cities.
NATO in the overwhelming majority remains the cornerstone of international security – 64% of respondents see it as protection against primary threats.
Compared to older age groups, young people are less likely to believe that NATO protects peace in Europe and more likely to believe that international relations thrive on competition rather than cooperation.
Research data shows that Europeans, depending on the country, have very different ideas about what is the primary threat for them. A quarter of them (25%) believe that the failure to protect borders is the biggest threat to peace in Europe, followed by terrorism (21%), cyber attacks (19%), an attack by a foreign aggressor (18%) and organized crime (17%).
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As reported by Ukrinform, in January the European Commissioner for Internal Trade and Services, Thierry Breton, noted that in the conditions of modern geopolitical realities, the EU is changing its attitude to its own defense capabilities, since Europe cannot, as before, depend on the election cycle in the US every year for its own security. four years