EU membership gaining favour

Public opinion in favour of the EU continued to rise over the past 12 months, according to the results of a Eurobarometer survey issued in Brussels yesterday.

According to the findings, 58 per cent of Maltese respondents think the island benefited from membership, a rise of three percentage points over the situation a year ago.

At the same time, the number of people who disagree went down by two percentage points to 28 per cent, while 15 per cent did not express any opinion.

The survey, part of an EU-wide scientific opinion poll conducted in the EU member states, was carried out in Malta by Misco between September and October on a sample of 500 respondents. The survey also shows a more positive perception of the Maltese towards the EU. Forty-five per cent think EU membership is a good thing, up from 43 per cent in the autumn of last year; 15 per cent think it's a bad thing (18 per cent last year) and 36 per cent think its neither good nor bad (35 per cent last year).

According to the survey results, Maltese respondents showed an increase of trust in EU institutions.

Fifty-nine per cent said they trust the European Parliament while 57 per cent that they trust the European Commission.

The Maltese results show a different story to the overall picture, where support for the EU has slightly decreased over the past months within the 25 member states.

General support for EU membership this autumn decreased by two per cent to 53 per cent, while the perceived benefits of membership stood at 54 per cent.