THE STATE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION REPORT. Europe in a period of transition

EUROPEAN CITIZENS AND THEIR OPINION ON THE EUROPEAN PROJECT DURING THE PANDEMIC 45 by 10 points to 34%), while the proportion that say that it has improved has dropped (down 7 points to 9%). The EB94 also records a slight drop from November-Decem- ber 2020. However, despite these variations in the short term, the longer-term trend since 2012 remains positive. There was a particularly significant increase between autumn 2019 and autumn 2020, in other words during the first and most dramatic phase of the pandemic. The positive scores for the EU image remain above levels observed for more than a decade. Although it is still too early to see the impression left by coronavirus in the long term, some trends already point towards citizens’ attitudes and wishes regarding the EU. What do Europeans expect from the EU to lead their future? The EB94 provides very interesting data on how much Europeans trust in the EU’s capacity to make correct de- cisions in the future. So, for the question “considering the European Union’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, how far do you trust the European Union to make the right decisions in the future?” 59% state that they trust the EU while 39% said they do not trust it (2% said they did not know). In 24 member States, more than 50% of the survey respondents said they trust the EU for future decisions. The highest figures (over 75%) were recorded in Portugal, Malta and Hungary; the lowest in the Czech Republic (47%), Austria (46%) and Greece (44%). This rate has gone up in 7 countries since summer 2020, par- ticularly in Malta (+21 points), in Portugal (+13) and in Italy (+10). However, this general positive image should not hide that trust in the EU capabilities in the future has lost ground in 17 countries, with a spectacular drop in Germany (-15). European citizens also mention the topics that, in their opinion, should provide the backbone of the EU to overcome the crisis. Unsurprisingly, questions linked to vaccination and health take the top spots. Guarantee- ing fast access to safe and effective vaccines for all EU citizens is the most frequently mentioned option (36%). Relating to health concerns, stand-out priorities consist of developing a European health policy (27%), invest- ing more funds in developing treatments and vaccines (25%), supporting the worldwide response to coronavi- rus to guarantee universal access to a vaccine or treat- ment (24%). However, another priority (second after the vaccines) is setting up a European strategy to address a similar crisis in the future (28%). This option seems to scale positions as time goes by and it seems to become more important. The results collected from the survey spon- sored by the ECFR point in that direction: to the question “once the coronavirus crisis is over, which, if any, of the following proposals best reflects what should change in the EU?”, citizens answer that the main priority should be to guarantee a more unified response to worldwide threats and challenges (42%). This item is also top in 7 out of the 12 countries analysed. Data from the EBS follows the same line. 74% of European citizens want the EU to have more competences to manage crises like coronavirus better. The highest figures are seen in Portu- gal (96%), Malta (91%), Sweden (90%), Finland (89%) and Ireland (87%). Topics related to economic recovery are also gaining ground. European citizens mention that the economic situation is still one of their main concerns (35%), after health. However, it is particularly relevant as it is the only question that comes in the top three of all the Mem- ber States. In turn, the EBS mentions that, when asked about the European Parliament’s priorities, Europeans once again worry about measures to fight poverty and social exclusion (39%) and support measures for the economy and creating jobs (39%) in second and third place respectively. Concern for health remains in the top spot (49%). Given that the economic situation remains one of the main priorities for European citizens, the figures provided by EB94 are very interesting regarding Europeans’ opin- ions on the NextGeneration EU programme. This survey