Europeans highly favour the stronger coordination of economic and financial policies among EU member states as an effective means of fighting the economic crisis. This is the main conclusion of a Eurobarometer opinion poll, the results of which were published on 26 August. Some 75% support a stronger European economic governance and 72% back a stronger supervision by the EU of the activities of the most important international financial groups, an increase of four percentage points from the last Eurobarometer, in autumn 2009. This survey was conducted in May, at the height of the European debt crisis.

The support for economic governance is strongest in Slovakia (89%), Belgium (87%) and Cyprus (87%). There was an important shift in favour of stronger economic governance in several countries, in particular Finland and Ireland (+13 points compared to autumn 2009), Belgium and Germany (+7 points), Austria, Luxembourg and Slovakia (+6 points), and the Netherlands (+5 points).

The main concerns of citizens during the crisis were as follows: the economic situation (40%, unchanged compared with autumn 2009), unemployment (48%, -3 percentage points) and inflation (20%, +1 point). The crisis also modified the perception of the Union among the population: 40% of Europeans associate the European Union with the euro (+3 points), 45% with freedom to travel, study and work anywhere in the EU (-1 point) and 24% with peace (minus four points).

An increasing number of Europeans believe that neither the United States nor the G20, but the EU is best placed for taking effective action against the crisis (26%, +4 points compared to autumn 2009).

Most Europeans are aware of the important challenges all EU countries are facing at the moment: 74% agree that their country needs reforms to face the future (+1 point compared to autumn 2009), and 71% are ready to face reforms for the benefit of future generations (unchanged). Europeans are unsure about how best to stimulate economic recovery: 74% believe that measures to reduce national public deficits and debt cannot wait (85% in Sweden, 84% in Hungary, 83% in Germany, 82% in Belgium and Cyprus and 80% in the Czech Republic, Greece and Slovenia). Meanwhile, in the EU27, 46% also support the use of public deficits to stimulate economic activity (compared to 36% who are against and 18% who do not know). In the 16 countries of the eurozone, the result is different: 42% are against the use of public deficits, whilst 41% support it.

The survey is available at ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb73/eb73_en.htm