English
Latest Eurobarometar poll shows that 70 percent of Macedonian citizens support membership in the European Union, expecting benefits such as open borders, free trade and a better quality of life from membership, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey on the EU enlargement process. Still, citizens are divided over the speed of this accession.
When asked “When do they think Macedonia will become an EU member state”, 27 percent answered “in the next five years”, 35 percent “in five to 15 years”, and 16 percent that “it will take more than 15 years, but it will happen”. The same percentage, 16, believe that “the country will never become an EU member state”, and six percent said they did not know.
When it comes to their attitude towards the EU, 23 percent of Macedonian citizens have a “very positive” image of the Union, 42 percent “fairly positive”, 20 percent “neutral”, 10 percent “negative”, and four percent “very negative”. One percent of those surveyed have no opinion.
As main benefits of EU membership, 48 percent of Macedonian citizens consider open borders and the ability to travel to other EU countries without visas, 43 percent free trade and the customs-free zone, and 42 percent a better quality of life and a higher standard of living. For 44 percent of those polled, the greatest concern regarding EU membership is caused by the outflow of youth and migration, for 20 percent the increase in bureaucracy, and for 17 percent the excessive number of European regulations and the restriction of national freedom.
The main obstacle to the accession to the EU, according to 41 percent of the Macedonian citizens surveyed, is “widespread corruption”, for 38 percent “the lack of rule of law and inadequate judiciary”, and for 37 percent “the disagreement of certain member states”.
According to the research, 51 percent of Macedonian citizens believe that support for the country’s economic development would contribute to a more favorable attitude of citizens towards the EU, and 45 percent believe that the greatest contribution to this would be support for a faster process of integration of the country into the Union and support for efforts to reduce corruption.
