56% of citizens support EU enlargement, new Eurobarometer poll shows

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56% of citizens support EU enlargement, new Eurobarometer poll shows  The European Union's enlargement policy has gained political momentum since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Candidates and member states will meet in Brussels on 4 November for a debate organised and hosted by Euronews.   READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/10/28/56-of-citizens-support-eu-enlargement-new-eurobarometer-poll-shows  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00As the EU strategic enlargement towards the East is gathering more momentum,

00:12a new survey shows that more than half of European Union citizens

00:16support the introduction of new member states to the bloc.

00:20More specifically, 56% of citizens approve of European Union enlargement.

00:26According to a EU-wide Eurobarometer study,

00:30the member states most in favour of enlargement are Sweden, Denmark and Lithuania.

00:36Young Europeans aged 15 to 24 were particularly in favour.

00:41The support comes to a large extent from young people and educated people.

00:48And that is not very surprising.

00:50You know, it's the usual suspects who would be understanding and supportive of such endeavours.

00:58So now the question is, how do we get to convince and get on board also the young, non-educated electorates?

01:0937% of those surveyed believe that enlargement will strengthen the EU's influence in the world.

01:1637% also think that it will strengthen the European economy,

01:21while 30% believe that enlargement will lead to greater solidarity in the Union.

01:26But aside from overall support for enlargement, political commitment is needed to move the process forward.

01:33This will be the central theme of Euronews EU enlargement summit on November the 4th in Brussels,

01:39where the heads of state and government of candidate countries will debate accession issues with EU leaders.

01:45It would be nice if politicians now would ride on that wave of public support in order to be more ambitious

01:52and to actually act with regards to welcoming new members in the European Union

02:00and doing the necessary preparatory work to be able to accommodate more countries around the decision-making table.

02:09While a majority of people support EU enlargement, many also voice concerns.

02:1540% of citizens say it could present the risk of uncontrolled immigration.

02:2039% point to a potential increase in corruption and crime.

02:24And 37% worry about the cost to taxpayers.

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