Low Maltese support for EU Constitution

According to the results of a new Eurobarometer survey, announced yesterday in Brussels, only 31% of the Maltese are in favour of the first Constitutional treaty of the European Union - one of the lowest favourable rates registered in the 25 EU member states.

The Maltese survey was conducted by MISCO between October 25 and November 17 last year. A sample of 500 people was involved in face-to-face interviews.

The results showed that the absolute majority of the Maltese (56%) are still undecided. Only 13% said they were against.

Malta's approval rate of the Constitution is the fifth lowest in the EU. As expected, the lowest support comes from the British, with only 20% approving, followed by Cyprus (23%), Sweden (27%) and Ireland (28%). On the other hand, Italians are the biggest supporters of the Constitution with 72%. They are followed by Belgium (70%) and the Netherlands (63%).

In general terms, the overall results show that among the entire EU population, 49% of those surveyed say they are in favour of the Constitution and 16% oppose it. However, 35% do not express an opinion. Indecision reaches a majority in some of the countries which have announced a referendum: 67% in Ireland, 53% in Portugal and 50% in the UK.

Meanwhile, probably reflecting our keen interest in politics, knowledge about the draft Constitution in Malta is among the highest compared to the rest of the EU population. Sixty per cent of Maltese respondents said they had heard about the Constitution and 12% said that they knew its contents. Only 28% said that they had never heard of the new treaty. This contrasts with the results obtained in other member states. More than half of the citizens of the EU-25 said they know little about the Draft Constitution and a third declared that they have never heard about it.

The level of knowledge on the content of the test, tested by a quiz, differs widely. If 63% of those surveyed knew that the Constitution does not plan to remove national citizenship, then there are only 48% who know that a member state could leave the Union if it wished. And 39% falsely believe that a direct European tax will be created.

In Malta, 46% answered correctly when asked to state whether it was true or false that the Constitution provides people with the opportunity to adopt a European law - a million people need to sign a petition to do so. Forty-one per cent responded correctly about the new proviso for a permanent EU council president and 44% knew that the new constitutional treaty allows a country to leave the EU if it wished.

Asked about who they trusted most to give them correct information about the constitution, 26% of Maltese respondents answered that they trusted the government, followed by the European Commission (19%), the European Parliament and journalists (11% each) and political parties (9%).

Commenting on the results of this survey during a press conference in Brussels, the Commission's Vice-President Margot Wallström, responsible for institutional relations and communication strategy, said: "The process of ratification of the Constitution will only succeed if governments and all other relevant actors mobilise to provide information to citizens, to ensure a truly informed debate.

"The data for countries which will hold referenda shows a high level of indecision. It may mean that there is a clear risk of a low turnout if campaigns are not able to connect with citizens."

In Malta the EU Constitution will be ratified by Parliament - 10 EU states will hold a referendum on the Constitution. The Constitution is intended to come into effect by November 1, 2006.