Maltese trust EU more than government or Parliament

Trust in the European Union has grown to such an extent that the Maltese now believe that the majority of policies should be jointly decided between the government and the EU, a Eurobarometer survey has shown.

Maltese respondents have expressed a preference for joint decision-making in no fewer than 13 policy areas, including immigration, consumer protection and the environment.

In the policy domains of health and social welfare, pensions, education, fighting unemployment and taxation, the majority of respondents were against joint decision-making at EU level.

"The results clearly show that the Maltese are integrating themselves well in the EU and they are increasingly realising that the country can get a helping hand from Europe," Joanna Drake, head of the European Commission representation office in Malta, told a news conference.

The survey, carried out among 500 respondents last April, shows that the EU enjoys the highest level of trust (66 per cent professing trust) as an institution, in contrast to the government (51 per cent) and the Maltese Parliament (48 per cent).

There is strong support for joint decision-making in issues like immigration (79 per cent), competition (61 per cent), energy (70 per cent) and the environment (64 per cent).

With five months to go to its introduction, the poll showed significant support for the euro - 64 per cent said they supported the introduction of the European currency, an increase of 10 percentage points in six months. Just over a quarter object to the euro.

There was also increased support for Malta's membership of the EU and a significantly improved perception of the economy.

The majority - 51 per cent - now think that Malta's accession to the EU is a good thing, an increase of six percentage points over last October and the second highest since autumn 2001.

Those thinking that EU membership is a bad thing increased to 17 per cent, up two points, and 30 per cent were neutral. Fiftyfour per cent said they tend to agree that they feel more politically stable since joining the EU and 34 per cent disagree.

More significant are the results on the question of whether Malta benefited from membership. A total of 66 per cent believe the island did benefit, with 23 per cent saying it did not.

Spain, Germany and Malta head the list of countries that registered an increase in the number of respondents holding a positive view of the EU.

When asked about their expectations about life in general for the next 12 months, 35 per cent of respondents said they expected matters to improve and 11 per cent were pessimistic.

Thirty per cent of the Maltese said they expect the economic situation to improve, an increase of five percentage points over the last survey.

No fewer than 61 per cent believe that the Maltese economic situation is worse than the rest of the EU, with 18 per cent thinking it is better. In the meantime, 57 per cent think the situation of employment in Malta is worse that the rest of the EU.

Public transport and the environment are two other areas which Maltese respondents believe to be inferior when compared to other EU countries. Just 15 per cent of respondents believe the environment situation in Malta is better than the EU average. On the other hand, the Maltese rated the education system and the quality of life in Malta higher than in the rest of the EU.

Rising prices and inflation were ranked as the primary concern for the Maltese, followed by immigration.

Turning to trade unions, 69 per cent of Maltese respondents answered positively and 14 per cent gave a negative answer. In the 27 EU states, 61 per cent of respondents hold a positive perception of trade unions.