Support for EU falls dramatically in Italy
Support for the European Union is on the rise across some of the continent’s major economies – except for Italy, which seems to have suddenly turned Eurosceptic.
A study by the Pew Research Centre revealed that there has been a 12% decline in support for the EU among Italians since 2013.
After a dramatic drop immediately following the euro crisis, EU favourability has rebounded in the UK, Poland, Germany, France, Greece and Spain; but favourable sentiment towards the economic bloc has been on the decline in Italy in since 2012, falling from 59% that year to 46% in the most recent survey.
81% of Italians questioned added that they felt their voices weren’t heard in Brussels, although a similar sense of powerlessness was also recorded in the other six countries surveyed. Around 65% said that the EU did not understand the needs of citizens.
And with Europe heading to the polls to vote for their representatives in Brussels, only 36% of Italians had a favourable view of the European Parliament. However, the report said this malaise could be driven by continued dissatisfaction with their national economy - only 3% of Italians felt their economy was faring well, compared to 85% in Germany who responded that their economy was performing just fine.
Support for the European Union is on the rise across some of the continent’s major economies – except for Italy, which seems to have suddenly turned Eurosceptic.
A study by the Pew Research Centre revealed that there has been a 12% decline in support for the EU among Italians since 2013.
After a dramatic drop immediately following the euro crisis, EU favourability has rebounded in the UK, Poland, Germany, France, Greece and Spain; but favourable sentiment towards the economic bloc has been on the decline in Italy in since 2012, falling from 59% that year to 46% in the most recent survey.
81% of Italians questioned added that they felt their voices weren’t heard in Brussels, although a similar sense of powerlessness was also recorded in the other six countries surveyed. Around 65% said that the EU did not understand the needs of citizens.
And with Europe heading to the polls to vote for their representatives in Brussels, only 36% of Italians had a favourable view of the European Parliament. However, the report said this malaise could be driven by continued dissatisfaction with their national economy - only 3% of Italians felt their economy was faring well, compared to 85% in Germany who responded that their economy was performing just fine.