Nearly two-thirds of citizens in the Czech Republic (65%) consider EU membership to be beneficial for their country, according to survey data released yesterday by Eurobarometer.
The survey showed that 74% of citizens of EU member states think that their country benefits from EU membership – which is the highest support recorded since 1983, when the survey was conducted for the first time.
Two-thirds of EU citizens want the EU to play a greater role in protecting them against global crises and security risks. This view is especially prevalent among younger respondents. In the Czech Republic, half of the respondents agreed with this.
“This is a clear call for action which we will answer,” said European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. “Europe needs to be stronger so that our citizens feel safer. The European Parliament will ensure that every proposal put forward is bold and ambitious enough to match the serious level of threat Europe faces. Europe must step up today, or it risks being stepped over tomorrow.”
62% of EU citizens would like to see the European Parliament play a more important role. However, in the Czech Republic the equivalent figure is just 34%.
Respondents cited defence, security and competitiveness as the main political priorities on which the European Union should focus most to strengthen its position in the world. Czech respondents were more likely than the EU average to cite energy independence as a further key issue.
There is also a consensus among EU citizens, according to the survey, that EU member states should be more united to face the current global challenges and that the EU should have more resources at its disposal to deal with challenges in the future. Respondents in the Czech Republic gave similar answers: 78% of citizens agree with a more united EU, and 63% support having more resources available to deal with future challenges.
The Eurobarometer survey of the European Parliament was conducted from 9 January to 4 February 2025 in all 27 member states. A total of 26,354 interviews were conducted.
