The French, more pessimistic about the European Union than the rest of Europe? Less than two months before the European elections, a Eurobarometer survey – ordered by Parliament – published this Wednesday, April 17, hammers home this… and reminds us that the vote only interests a minority of our fellow citizens. France, the second most populous country in the European Union (EU) after Germany, is even an exception. While in the other 26 EU countries the majority of respondents say they are optimistic about the future of the bloc – the champions of confidence being Denmark, Ireland and Lithuania – our country is the only state member where the optimists are in the minority (42%), overtaken by the pessimists (52%).
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This trend seems to have gained ground in recent years, since 52% of French people were, according to a survey at the end of 2020, “ very ” Or ” instead » optimistic about the future (compared to 44% pessimists). In Germany, optimism remains in the majority (60%), but it is also decreasing compared to 2020 (72%). However, the EU is not the only target of this French gloom. Because if 65% of French people think that “ things are going in the wrong direction in the EU » (compared to 49% of Europeans on average), even more of them (76%) think that they are going in the wrong direction in their own country.
The French express greater concern than the European average about the evolution of their personal standard of living: 69% of them believe that it has fallen over the last five years (compared to 45% on average in the EU). And 53% think that it will fall in the next five years (compared to 32% at European level). They are also more numerous than the European average to have a negative image of the EU, notably the Austrians and the Czechs, and to think that its role in the world has become “ less important ” these last years.
A bad image of Parliament
The French are those who have the worst image of the European Parliament: if it is positive for 41% of Europeans, it is only positive for 27% of our compatriots. This key EU institution receives an unfavorable opinion from 28% of French people (compared to 18% of Europeans). A majority of French people (53%) admit that they are not interested in the European elections, while on average in the EU, 60% of citizens are.
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However, the French affirm by a large majority (67%) that they want to go to the polls to renew this parliamentary assembly, whose headquarters is in Strasbourg, responsible for participating in the adoption of European legislation. Big problem: only 8% of them know the exact date of these elections, by direct universal suffrage in one round, scheduled for June 9 in France (they take place between June 6 and 9 throughout the EU) .
At the European level, 23% of respondents admit to having no idea when the vote will be held, a percentage which rises to 30% in France. Asked about this French distrust, the spokesperson for the European Parliament, Jaume Duch Guillot, stressed that it was “not not a surprise “. “ This is a trend visible in recent years », he commented, without wanting to offer any explanations.
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In France, the National Rally (RN) is clearly the winner of the European elections, with a score of 30-32%, according to the latest polls – far ahead of President Emmanuel Macron's majority list (16-18%). The Eurobarometer survey, commissioned by the European Parliament, was carried out among 26,411 European citizens in the 27 EU member countries, between February 7 and March 3. In total, the European Parliament will have 720 deputies after the elections, compared to 705 currently.
