A Eurobarometer survey shows that Europeans have high expectations of the European Union and the EU's long-term budget for 2028.

A majority of respondents (68%, 56% in Estonia) believe that in times of geopolitical uncertainty, the European Union should do more to protect its citizens from global crises and security threats. 90% Europeans (87% in Estonia) want Member States to be more united, and more than three quarters of respondents (77%, 69% in Estonia) believe the EU budget should be bigger to cope with global challenges.

Concerns about the current political and economic situation

Europeans consider that in order to maintain its international position and to address current political and economic challenges, the European Union should focus on defence and security (37% respondents, 33% in Estonia) and on strengthening competitiveness, the economy and industry (32% respondents, 36% in Estonia).

The European Parliament should, however, be primarily concerned with curbing inflation, rising prices and the cost of living (41% of respondents, 52% in Estonia), improving defence and security (34%, 42% in Estonia), and reducing poverty and social exclusion (31%, 23% in Estonia). Estonian respondents also believe that the Parliament should strongly tackle economic support and job creation - a full 47% of respondents (30% in the EU as a whole) consider this important.

Achievement of common objectives should be jointly financed by.

Nearly eight out of ten Europeans (78%, 76% in Estonia) believe that more projects should receive funding from the European Union rather than from individual Member States. In addition, 85% of respondents (80% in Estonia) believe that money should only be allocated to Member States that respect the rule of law.A full 91% of respondents (86% in Estonia) believe that the European Parliament should have all the necessary information and levers to control EU spending.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said: "EU citizens want Europe to focus on security and growth. They expect the EU to give its citizens confidence and act as one in today's uncertain world. Our political priorities and the EU's next long-term budget must therefore ensure that the Union can cope with the new geopolitical realities. It is now up to Parliament to ensure that words are followed by deeds and that the EU invests effectively in areas that matter to citizens."

EU membership makes people's lives better

Almost three quarters of respondents (72%, 68% in Estonia) consider that EU decisions and actions have an impact on their daily lives. Half of the respondents (50%, 41% in Estonia) consider this impact to be positive, while 18% (20% in Estonia) consider it to be negative.

At the same time, 73% Europeans consider that their country has benefited from EU membership. Among Estonian respondents, as many as 80% think so. Above all, Europeans consider the EU's action to be important in ensuring peace and security (371 T3t3T, 361 T3t3T in Estonia), in deepening cooperation between Member States (361 T3t3T, 331 T3t3T in Estonia) and in supporting economic growth (= 291 T3t3T).

Background

The Eurobarometer survey, commissioned by the European Parliament, took place from 5 to 29 May 2025 and was carried out by the research agency Verian. People were interviewed face-to-face in all 27 Member States, and video interviews were used in the Netherlands, Malta, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. In total, 26 410 people were interviewed. The EU results were weighted by the population of each country.

Source:europarl.europa.eu/news/et/press-room/20250827IPR30018/eurobarometer-people-expect-from-now-onwards-protection-from-crisis-eest