Fifty-one per cent of Europeans support Malta`s EU accession, a level of support higher than for any other candidate country, according to the latest Eurobarometer report.

The report was released by the European Commission yesterday.

After Malta, the people are most likely to be favour of accession by Hungary, Poland, Cyprus and the Czech Republic.

Only 28 per cent are against Malta`s bid, the lowest level of opposition.

As for support for other European countries which are not candidates, Switzerland emerged as by far the favourite country, at 75 per cent support.

The Eurobarometer presents an analysis of public opinion towards the EU.

The survey was carried out in the last quarter of last year after the September 11 attacks on the United States and one week after the start of the war in Afghanistan.

These events, according to the survey, have significantly affected people`s views in many regards.

The survey also shows that:

¤ 54 per cent of EU citizens regard their country`s membership of the EU as a good thing. This is significantly higher than in the last survey.

¤ 52 per cent of those surveyed feel that their country has benefited from its EU membership;

¤ 51 per cent of the respondents are in favour of the enlargement process, with only 30 per cent against.

¤ Approximately two in three EU citizens believe that the EU will become more important in the world if it includes more countries, and that the EU will become culturally richer.