There is strong support for Ukraine joining the European Union in several large EU countries, though Europeans remain unconvinced that should happen immediately, according to polling across six countries shared exclusively with POLITICO, Report informs.
Euroskopia, a group of European polling firms, asked people in Spain, Germany, Greece, France, the Netherlands and Italy what they thought of Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.
Respondents in six EU countries were asked "Do you think Ukraine should be admitted as a member of the EU?"
The highest proportion of those who advocate Ukraine's membership in the EU falls on Spain. 53% of those polled there believe that Ukraine should be accepted immediately, another 23% - in a couple of years. 13% of respondents did not decide on an answer, and 11% opposed its membership in the European Union.
Most residents of Germany (63%) and Greece (54%) also said that Ukraine should be admitted to the EU. However, 41% of respondents in Germany and 33% of respondents in Greece do not see the need to do so immediately. Also, 24% of respondents in Germany and 39% in Greece do not support Ukraine's accession to the EU, the rest of the respondents could not decide on their opinion on this issue.
The share of residents of France, the Netherlands and Italy who are in favor of Ukraine's membership in the EU is slightly less than half of the respondents. For example, in France, 25% of respondents support the immediate procedure for Ukraine's accession to the EU, 24% - in a couple of years. The rest have not decided on the answer (24%), or oppose it (27%).
In the Netherlands and Italy, the immediate accession of Ukraine to the EU is supported by 12% and 19% of respondents, respectively.
There was also wide disagreement about the need for the EU to create its own army so that countries were not reliant on NATO. Sixty-three percent of respondents in Greece supported the idea, compared with just 27 percent in the Netherlands. There was also strong support in France and Spain, each with 51 percent, but more opposition in Germany and Italy, with 36 and 35 percent respectively.
The polling, which was carried out between March 8 and 11, canvassed the opinions of 1,000 adults in each country.