What Brussels says is normally given more weight in Malta than in other member states, at least by the public, and, according to a Eurobarometer survey, the EU administration enjoys “a lot of trust” among the Maltese.
The EU-wide survey, conducted in Malta by Misco last February among a scientifically selected sample population of 500 adults, shows that 56 per cent of Maltese were satisfied with the “effectiveness” of the EU administration.
Almost half (49 per cent) expressed the same judgment when it comes to the orientation of the EU and its institutions to provide a good service to citizens.
Malta’s “positivity” about what comes out of Brussels contrasts sharply with the rest of the member state, particularly some Eurosceptic countries like the UK and Sweden, where trust in the EU and its administration is low.
The survey results, published in Brussels this week, show that only a minority of EU citizens believe Brussels is “effective” in its administration, with the average hovering at around 41 per cent.
Apart from Malta, the EU administration enjoys most trust in Belgium (61 per cent) – the seat of its main institution – and Slovakia (58 per cent). On the other hand, such trust is lowest in the UK (26 per cent), Sweden (34 per cent) and France (37 per cent)
Asked on whether the EU was transparent enough in its day-to-day work, 45 per cent of Maltese said they were satisfied and the majority of respondents did not know how to reply. Still, Malta’s response in this area is high compared to the rest of the member states as the average satisfaction on the EU’s transparency stood at 34 per cent.
Surprisingly, many Maltese respondents seem to give a lot of weight to their acquired rights to complain to the EU Ombudsman and the European Parliament rather than to some other EU fundamental rights, such as the one to move to and reside freely in any member state.
Asked to say which was the most important EU right for them, the majority, 41 per cent, mentioned the right to ask the EU Ombudsman to investigate their complaints; much higher than the 33 per cent who said “free movement”. In contrast, the majority of the EU citizens believe this is most important right for them.
Interestingly, only 17 per cent of Maltese consider the right to vote to elect their MEPs as the most important right.