(13 September 2021) – In a new Eurobarometer survey published by the European Parliament, four out of five respondents (81%) say the EU should only provide funds to Member States that respect the rule of law and democratic values.
The survey shows clear public support for transparency and effective control of EU funds disbursed in the framework of the NextGenerationEU programme. 53% of citizens fully agree that there must be effective control, with a further 32% tending to agree. Only 8% of respondents on EU average do not share this opinion.
Citizens assess the premise of the European Union’s 800 billion Euro recovery programme positively: Three out of five citizens (60%) believe the NextGenerationEU projects will help their country to overcome the economic and social damage brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.
59% of citizens also say that the programme will help their country to be better prepared for future challenges.
In this light, the survey also shows 53% of European citizens have a positive image of the European Union, with only 19% having a fairly or very negative image.