European sociologists have recorded that the positive image of the European Union among EU citizens has reached its highest historical level. The vast majority of Europeans agree that their country will benefit from EU membership.
Russian propaganda continues to promote disinformation in an attempt to interfere with the democratic processes of the European Union. Propaganda claims that European elections «will lead to a situation similar to the collapse of the USSR». Regardless of which party’s candidates are elected to the European Parliament in the June elections, Russian media write, the new balance of power will lead to «the collapse of the European Union, at least because it has long outgrown its status as a club of interests».
«Does this mean that the victory of the globalists will bring stability to Europe? Absolutely not. It will be just the opposite. If the ‘Euroheretics’ simply break up the EU, the ‘Euroinquisition’ will finish Europe off, turning it into an economic and political periphery, thrown to the margins of global historical processes,» Russian media write.
Such Russian claims are nothing more than another fake aimed at undermining public confidence in national institutions. Disinformation is easily refuted by statistical data. According to a study by the international Eurobarometer project, which regularly conducts opinion polls on behalf of European institutions, the positive image of the European Union among EU citizens has reached its highest historical level. This happened against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to the study (April 2024).
According to the survey, almost three-quarters of citizens (73%) believe that EU actions affect their daily lives. In addition, the vast majority of Europeans agree that their country as a whole benefits from EU membership (71%). These results are stable and remain high across the EU, the authors of the study emphasise.
«The different crises that marked this past legislative term and the current geopolitical context have reinforced the EU’s role in the eyes of citizens, as shown in Parliament’s surveys. The positive image of the EU reached its highest historical levels during the COVID-19 pandemic and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as has the opinion that EU membership is beneficial for its Member States… Over the past five years, the proportion of citizens who wish to see the European Parliament play a more important role has increased by five percentage points. Looking forward, this pre-electoral survey shows that Europeans remain optimistic about the future of the EU, especially among younger generations,» the study says.
The Eurobarometer poll also showed a strong interest among EU citizens in the upcoming European Parliament elections: «survey reveals a strong interest among citizens in the upcoming European elections (6-9 June 2024) and awareness of their significance in the current geopolitical context». More than eight out of ten respondents (81%) agree that «voting is even more important considering the international situation». Europeans would like to see the fight against poverty and social exclusion (33%) and support for public health (32%) as the main issues discussed during the election campaign. The EU’s defence and security are in third place (31%), an issue that has grown in importance for Europeans in light of Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine, the study says.
Russia has significantly stepped up its disinformation campaign in the run-up to the upcoming elections in Western countries and European institutions. Read more on this topic in StopFake’s article Fake: EU Imposes Censorship on The Eve of European Parliament Elections.
