Despite geopolitical tensions and Spaniards are the Europeans less concerned about security and defense. While these issues are at the head (with an average of 36%) of the concerns of EU citizens, in Spain this percentage falls to 20%, according to the last Eurobarometer. It is the lowest level of the entire community club, just matched by Malta.
What the Spaniards are widely coinciding with the other Europeans is that they consider the twenty -seven as the best frame to protect them before global crises and security risks. And they are convinced, like the rest of their community citizens, that the unit is the key to it, according to the data of the latest survey of the. This was made between January and February of this year, just when the Republican Donald Trump assumed in the United States, whose threats are questioning the traditional safety umbrella of the superpower in Europe.
66% of Europeans want the EU role in the protection of citizens in the face of global crises and security risks to be “more important” in the future (percentage that increases to 72% in Spain). At the same time, 50% recognize that this “protective” role has already increased in recent years. Striking for Brussels experts is the fact that this perception shoots among the youngest in Europe (up to 70%).
When asked about what subjects the EU should focus to “reinforce her position in the world”, Europeans place the “defense and security” at the top of the list, with 36% on average that, in countries such as Lithuania or Denmark triggers (up to 56% and 52%, respectively). Also Germany, to increase the expenditure in defense, is above the European average, with 43%. At the other extreme is Spain, for whose citizens the maximum priority must be education and research (40%, compared to 23%European average), while the defense falls to 20%.
The president of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, pressed heavily during the EU leaders of the EU last Thursday for the European Commission to change the name of the Rearm Europe Plan of 800,000 million euros to boost the expenditure in defense in the EU and give it a less militaristic tone. “To me the term I do not share that term. I think we have to speak in another way, to address our citizens in another way when we talk about the need to improve security and defense capacities,” said Sánchez, in a shared position, paradoxically, by one of the European leaders more in the antipodes of the Spanish socialist, the ultra Italian Giorgia Meloni. Italy is another of the countries where the concern for security and defense is, with 31%, below the European average, according to the Eurobarometer. On Friday, Brussels announced its decision in fact of and of advocating, before the “susceptibilities” that this term causes in these countries, by a less warmithist terminology, moving on to the idea of ”being prepared” (preparedness).
In second place of the priorities of Europeans for the EU are competitiveness, economy and industry (32%), followed by the need for energy independence, resources and infrastructure (27%); Food security and agriculture (25%) and, already in fifth place, education and research (23%) prioritized by Spaniards.
In what Europeans are “massively” agree that EU member states “should be more united to face global challenges, something that shares an average of 89% of Europeans, who shoot at 98% in Malta and 97% in Denmark. 76% of the Europeans consulted also believe that the EU” needs more means to face the current global challenges. “
Despite the growing global populism, which has also moved to a Europe where the most European and extreme right forces achieved a strong advance in, not only seven out of ten European citizens (72%) believe that the EU has an “impact” on their daily life; 74% consider that their country has benefited from being part of the EU, the highest result registered in a Eurobarometer survey since it was first raised, in 1983. Again, it is young people who lead, with a massive 82% among Europeans from 15 to 24 years “convinced of the beneficial nature” of being a member of the Union.
