Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1533641
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 26 MARCH 2025 NEWS MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt More than 80% of Maltese want EU to play greater role in defence MORE than 80% of Eurobarom- eter survey respondents want the EU to play a more significant role in defence. The figure is much higher than the two-thirds of Europe- ans who want the EU to take on a greater defence role. The survey confirmed that 66% of EU citizens support a more significant role for the EU in global crises and security risks. The demand is strongest among younger respondents across the bloc. In Malta, 82% of respondents believe the EU should play a more significant role in this regard. European Parliament Pres- ident Roberta Metsola stated that this is "a clear call for ac- tion" warning that if Europe does not step up today, "it risks being stepped over tomorrow." The survey also highlights record-breaking support for EU membership, with 74% of citizens believing their coun- try benefits from being part of the Union. This is the highest level of support recorded since the question was first asked in 1983. The primary reason cited is the EU's contribu- tion to maintaining peace and strengthening security (35%). Malta ranked highest in this category, with 92% of its pop- ulation considering EU mem- bership beneficial—a two-per- centage point increase from last year. The main perceived benefit in Malta is econom- ic growth (50%), followed by peace and security (17%). Fur- thermore, an overwhelming 98% of Maltese respondents believe EU member states should act in greater unity to tackle global challenges, the highest percentage in the bloc. As the geopolitcial landscape continues to shift, Europeans expect the EU to reinforce se- curity and defence (36%) while boosting economic competi- tiveness (32%). Malta, however, placed a greater emphasis on EU values such as democracy and human rights (29%), alongside educa- tion and research (29%). Other priorities for Maltese citizens include climate action (28%), food security (27%), and tech- nology and AI development (24%). Meanwhile, 46% of Maltese respondents cite inflation and the cost of living as their main priority for the European Par- liament to address. As 35% call for stronger public health sup- port, 29% focus on migration and asylum policies. Defence and security, while a top EU- wide concern, ranks lower in Malta at 14%. A growing number of Europe- ans also fear a decline in their standard of living over the next five years. Across the EU, 33% anticipate a drop, with particularly sharp increases in France (53%) and Germany (47%). In Malta, however, 33% ex- pect their living standards to improve, while 22% antici- pate a decline, as both figures increasing by six percentage points since last year. The survey also shows that 55% of respondents in Malta have a positive image of the EU. In Malta, support for a stronger European Parliament is even higher, with 70% of re- spondents advocating for an expanded role. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 In fact, while nearly half of Maltese young people are very optimistic, only 15% of young people in the EU share the same sentiment while 46% are rather opti- mistic. The survey suggests that optimism about the EU's future is highest in Malta (92%), followed by Ireland (91%), Romania (88%), Cy- prus (85%), Denmark and Luxembourg (84%), Por- tugal (82%), Estonia and Latvia (80%). Pessimism is greatest in France (43%) and Germany (42%). The survey also shows that Maltese young people are among the most likely to believe that the EU has a positive impact on the soci- ety they live in (86%). They are also the most likely to think the EU has a very pos- itive impact, with 50% hold- ing this view, while 36% consider the impact fairly positive. This is the highest percentage in the EU. Only 1% of Maltese youth think the EU has a negative impact – the lowest in the EU – while 12% are neutral. In contrast, only 19% of young people across the EU think the union has a very positive impact on their so- ciety, while 41% consider it fairly positive. Meanwhile, 27% are neutral, and 11% believe it has a negative im- pact. The most likely to see the EU as having a positive im- pact are the Irish (88%), fol- lowed by the Maltese (86%) and the Danes and Luxem- bourgers (81%). The lowest percentages are found in France (47%), Germany (50%), and Po- land (52%). The survey also shows that, on a personal level, Maltese youth (48%) are the most likely to associate the European Union with ac- cess to programmes such as Erasmus+, DiscoverEU, the European Solidarity Corps, and EURES. In contrast, only 30% of all EU youth associate the EU with such opportunities. Youth in other EU mem- ber states are more like- ly to link membership to the freedom to travel and explore other countries. While 39% associate mem- bership with this aspect, only 27% of Maltese young people think so. A significant proportion of Maltese young people also associate the EU with work opportunities (29%), a united effort to tackle glob- al challenges (25%), and strong protection of their rights and freedoms (22%). Respondents were also asked to identify the EU's top priorities. For Maltese youth, addressing irregu- lar migration (27%) ranked highest, followed by cli- mate change (25%) and the economy (23%). Only 21% prioritised security and de- fence. In contrast, security and defence is the top priority for EU youth (31%), fol- lowed by climate change (27%) and public health (26%). When asked about their greatest concerns for the future, inflation emerged as the top worry for EU youth overall (41%). However, only 26% of Maltese young people identified inflation as their main concern. In- stead, they were most wor- ried about climate change (29%) and EU security (27%). COUNTRY OPTIMISTIC PESSIMISTIC Malta 92 5 Ireland 91 7 Romania 88 10 Cyprus 85 13 Luxembourg 84 13 Denmark 84 13 Portugal 82 14 Latvia 80 15 Estonia 80 15 Lithuania 79 16 Finland 79 14 Bulgaria 78 19 Greece 77 22 Belgium 77 19 Croatia 75 22 Hungary 74 17 Slovenia 72 25 Netherlands 72 23 Slovakia 70 25 Austria 68 25 Italy 62 30 EU27 61 31 Poland 58 30 Czech Republic 58 35 Sweden 57 29 Spain 56 36 France 48 43 Germany 48 42 86% of Maltese youths think EU has positive impact on society