Eurobarometer: Youth in the EU are the biggest supporters of the Union’s enlargement
BRUSSELS – Young Europeans strongly support the EU enlargement – about two-thirds of respondents aged 15 to 39 believe that (potential) candidates should join the EU when they meet the necessary conditions, while 56 percent are in favor of further EU enlargement and believe it is beneficial for their country, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey published by the European Commission.
According to the survey respondents, the main advantages of EU membership enlargement are related to security and defense, a stronger economy and competitiveness, and the global influence of the EU in the world. However, 67 percent of EU citizens say they do not feel well informed about the enlargement. It is noted that surveys were conducted in candidate and potential candidate countries, and they generally show overall support for EU accession. In the Western Balkans, the highest support was recorded in Albania – 91 percent and North Macedonia – 69 percent, while the lowest was expressed in Serbia – 33 percent. In Georgia and Ukraine, support is 74 and 68 percent, respectively. It is added that the survey showed that Albanians have the most positive image of the EU (82 percent), while in Serbia that percentage is the lowest (38 percent).
In Moldova, more than half of its citizens have a positive image of the EU (55 percent), while that number is lower in Ukraine (49 percent) and Georgia (43 percent). In Turkey, a similar survey showed support for EU membership at 49.9 percent, while 50.7 percent of citizens view the EU positively. It is stated that the survey results can help the Commission’s efforts to engage the public both in the EU and in candidate and potential candidate countries about the EU enlargement policy, as well as the Commission’s work on how to better communicate the progress made. The survey was conducted live between February and June 2025. (September 2)
