The defense and competitiveness of Europe have become the leitmotiv of community policy in recent months before the complex geopolitical context and the resurgence of the commercial war that shows that the European industry is left behind. Both problems have become even more uphill since the return of Donald Trump. And the agenda that has been imposed in the EU coincides, in general, with the priorities indicated by European citizens, although it has exceptions, such as Spain.
According to a Eurobarometer survey, Europeans point to security and defense (36%) as the priority on which institutions must focus to strengthen the EU position in the world, followed by competitiveness (32%), which already occupied the second position, but has increased by five points. The citizens of most European countries place one of those two issues in first position.
The majority of East countries see the defense as a priority (for 56% of the Lithuanians, 52% of the Danes, 49% of the Finns …) as well as the Nordic or central ones (countries, low, Germany, Belgium or France, among others) are above the average. In the case of competitiveness, it is the main concern in Greece, Portugal, Slovenia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Estonia and Italy.
Spain is one of the nine countries that does not put security and defense or competitiveness in the first place. 40% of Spaniards place, however, education and research as the EU priority element. Chipriotas (46%) and the Maltese (29%) coincide, which also place European values first, like the Swedes (40%). Food security and agriculture are prioritutes for the citizens of Slovakia, Croatia, Romania, Austria and Ireland.
The data corresponding to the winter survey coincides with the moment in which Brussels has launched a package for the “rearme” of Europe with which it intends that countries increase by 800,000 million the expenditure in defense and a white paper with which it establishes the road map for the coming years.
Pedro Sánchez applauded the proposals of the European Commission, but questioned that the Belicist rhetoric of the “Rearme” would be used. In a press conference in the community capital last Thursday, he acknowledged precisely that it is necessary to make “pedagogy” on defense spending and bet that it is addressed in a broader way contemplating the entire concept of security. Spain wants that issues such as the protection of borders, cybersecurity or preparation against climatic emergencies be included in the calculation spending.
At the EU leaders meeting, cracks between the countries of the north and east of Europe and those of the South were evidenced, which are visualized in the importance that citizens give to the issue of defense. “The threats of southern Europe are somewhat different from those of Eastern Europe,” said Sánchez.
An vast majority of Europeans (89%) consider that Member States should be more united to face the current global challenges and 76% believe that the European Union should have more means to face them. There is the circumstance that in Hungary, whose prime minister, the ultra -rightist Viktor Orbán, is stirred against the ‘community technocrats’ and breaks the unity in matters such as the war in Ukraine, the percentage is higher than the European average. Thus, 86% of the Hungarians consider that the EU should have more means to deal with global challenges.
Although the perception of citizens on the EU is at maximum, only half a half recognize having a positive vision compared to 34% that has it neutral and 15%, negative. The countries that are below that average are Spain (49%); Cyprus (48%); Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia (57%); Latvia (42%); Austria, France and Slovakia (41%); Greece (38%) and Czech Republic (32%).
However, the vast majority see beneficial belong to the community club (74%is the European average) and the most enthusiastic about it are the Maltese (92%), Danish, Irish and Portuguese (91%) and Lithuanians and Luxemburgers (90%). On the opposite side are the Bulgarians (61%) and French, Greeks and Czechs (65%). In the case of the Spaniards, it stands at 76%. The main benefits indicated by respondents are the contribution to the protection of Lapaz and safety reinforcement (35%, three more points than in the previous poll), the improvement of cooperation with other countries (34%) and the contribution to economic growth (28%). In Spain, 38% points to the economic issue as the main element.
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