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Central Europe
October 20, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 12
Visegrad citizens believe in benefits of EU membership despite negative political rhetoric
bne IntelliNews
A substantial majority of the populations in the Visegrad Four states believe they have benefitted from EU membership, according to the European Parliament’s latest Parlemeter poll released on October 18.
The poll’s results are in stark contrast to the populist, eurosceptic rhetoric from political lead- ers in the region, especially so-called “illiberal democrats” such as Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Enthusiasm for EU membership was well above the average in the EU28 across Poland (where 84% of respondents said they had benefitted), Slovakia (74%) and Hungary (72%). Hungarians and Poles also believed things were going in the right direction in both their home countries and the EU as a whole, in contrast to most CEE/SEE respondents who thought things were going in the
right direction in the EU — but not in their home countries.
Only in Czechia, where just 56% of respondents said their country had on balance benefitted from EU membership, was the percentage in favour below the EU wide average of 64%. Czechs are heading to the polls in an election Andrej Babis’ eurosceptic, anti-immigrant ANO party is widely expected to lead.
Looking at the wider CEE/SEE region, the highest level of enthusiasm for EU membership was re- corded in Latvia, with 88% believing they benefit- ted, putting it third overall after Ireland (90%) and Malta (89%). Similarly high numbers appreciated the benefits of EU membership in Estonia (81%), showed the survey, which also indicated some- what more keenness on membership among the new member states to the east.