EUROBAROMETER SPECIAL BUREAUX (2002) EU into the Future: Swedish Voices on EU Information, Enlargement and the EU s Future Political Direction Survey carried out for the European Commission s Representation in Sweden «This document does not reflect the views of the European Commission. Any interpretations or opinions expressed in this executive summary are those of the authors alone May 24, 2002
EU into the Future: Voices from Sweden on EU Information, Enlargement and the Union s Future Political Direction EUROBAROMETER 56.3 REPORT S EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Eurobarometer 56.3 is composed of the results of opinion polls taken across the 15 European Union member countries in January February this year. 1 It has three overriding themes. A first section deals with civil society access to information in the EU. Then attitudes toward enlargement of the bloc with new members are examined. The last section looks at EU citizens sentiment toward various EU socio-political developments. It examines, for instance, what the bloc s political priorities should be and whether these and other policies are being dealt with efficiently. In the following, we summarise a report analysing the Eurobarometer polling results for Sweden. 2 EU INFORMATION. The first section on access to information has less to do with European citizens right to obtain information from the EU institutions (Aarhus Convention), than with their actual exposure to, and willingness to obtain, information about the EU. The Eurobarometer pollsters have, for instance, tried to find out what channels or media are being used to receive information and how it has been perceived. It seems also to be an attempt to see if the current balance of information emitted by the EU institutions about different events or policies is the right one. First general question: What are the best things about the EU? There will be more work in an enlarged job market, say three in five out of the roughly 1000 Swedish respondents. It is also good that EU countries work together to combat crime, terrorism and drugs, agree one in four respondents. As many point to the single currency and the common market as being EU positives since both of these are thought to help in boosting the Swedish economy. Two thirds of respondents in Sweden however answer that they are not interested in the EU. When the EU downsides are singled out, by one in three respondents, they mention excessive bureaucracy and long-drawn-out decision-making processes. One in five say that inconsistencies between EU rules and Swedish interests are a problem. 1 For technical specifications see Annex II. 2 EU in i framtiden: Svenska röster om EU information, utvidgningen och EU:s politiska inriktning. It is a survey carried out for the European Commission s Representation in Sweden, during spring 2002. 2
Television and daily newspapers are Swedish people s most important sources of information about the EU, according to Eurobarometer. One in four interviewees in Sweden, in addition, obtains such information through discussions with friends and family, through radio or via the Internet. The poll also shows that the latter medium is continuing its meteoric rise in popularity, making Sweden the most connected country in the EU in relative terms. Some sixty percent of respondents in Sweden now claim to use the Internet. The news media seem to get rather good marks for their efforts to cover the EU. However, they generally do too little to describe the aims and purposes of EU policies, of where information about the EU can be found, and of the bloc s history. Television has moreover flooded respondents with its coverage about the euro. Seven in ten respondents in Sweden have never heard of the EU s information services. Three in five have never asked to receive information from them. The 17 percent that did request information claim to be rather content with what they received. Eight in ten have never visited the EU s website Europa, but seven in ten say that they would like to be able to find information about the EU on the internet. Respondents in Sweden are most interested in the EU s policies on citizens rights (87 percent), on the bloc s political aims and purposes (83 percent), on environment (82 percent) and on the consequences of the euro introduction (76 percent). Food safety and crime prevention also figure high on their list. ENLARGEMENT. Seven in ten interviewees in Sweden are in favour of enlargement of the EU with new member states. A majority think that the enlargement process is progressing at the right speed. Forty two percent claim that only some of the countries wishing to join the bloc should be allowed to do so. Another third say all countries wishing to join should be welcomed in, while one in ten say that the European Union should not be enlarged further. Four fifths of respondents in Sweden have no contacts with the candidate countries but would like to know more about the latter s culture, history, gastronomy, tourism and politics, in that order. Three in five do not feel very well informed about EU enlargement and two in five have not seen, heard or read anything about it lately. The union s big founding countries, centrally placed in the EU, will profit most from enlarging the bloc, the interviewees in Sweden assert. Belgium, host to the capital of Europe, will benefit too, as will the UK. Tourism and commerce 3
are the sectors which stand to benefit most from EU enlargement. The agricultural sector will be worst off. Even though a comfortable majority of the Swedish interviewees welcome accepting new members into the EU, they are equally adamant that the accession countries take seriously the responsibilities which membership implies. The new members must respect human rights and democratic principles, actively combat crime and drug trafficking and environmental degradation. They must also be able to pay their share of the EU s budget and implement union laws and rules. On the upside, enlargement will make the EU stronger politically and it should unite our continent, say four in five respondents in Sweden. Nine in ten think that it will be easier for non-swedish nationals to settle down in Sweden after the union has been enlarged. SOCIO-POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS. People feel more strongly connected to their country, city or town and region than to the European Union, to believe the Eurobarometer. Furthermore, informing the citizens about the EU should be a national affair, say three fourths of the interviewees in Sweden who would prefer that the Swedish government handled this area. Sixty percent think that the media should convey information about the union, while half of the respondents say that the EU institutions could do it. Three out of five respondents in Sweden claim to be for a European monetary union (EMU) with a single currency, the euro. Thirty one percent are against such a union. The yes camp has its strongest following among those who tend to vote to the right or for the social democratic grouping in the European Parliament. Supporters of European green and leftists parliamentary groups tend to be more reticent toward the EMU. In Sweden, more men than woman are Euro-adepts. Professionals and students are more favourable than house persons or unemployed people. On average, respondents in Sweden are more favourable than those in the three pre-in EU member states which are not currently EMU members taken together. When the responses from these three countries were cumulated, 36 percent say they are for EMU, and 46 percent against. People interviewed in Sweden also express a strong belief in the strength of the European Parliament in EU decision-making. As many as 86 percent of them think therefore that the European Commission should resign if it lacks the support of a majority of the members of the European Parliament. Common EU foreign affairs and defence and security policies are a good idea too, according to roughly three thirds of the respondents. The EU has not been very successful at getting closer to its citizens nor effective in combating unemployment and poverty in the union. But it handled the 12-4
member-state euro introduction quite well, many Swedish respondents agree. As in last Spring s Special Edition Eurobarometer(55), respondents in Sweden are most concerned with safeguarding citizens rights and democratic principles, with environmental protection and with combating crime, drugs and unemployment. Guaranteeing food safety in the union is important too, a large percentage of these respondents say. Ninety three percent moreover approve the idea of teaching school children about how the EU functions. Sweden is the fourth least influential country in the EU after its Nordic neighbour Finland, Portugal and Ireland, the respondents in Sweden conclude. 5