00:00Are EU citizens optimistic about the bloc's future?
00:07More than half of EU citizens feel optimistic about the future of the EU.
00:11However, this figure has decreased 6 percentage points since last year,
00:16with Malta, Austria, Italy and Greece having the biggest drops.
00:20Europeans think that the main strength of the EU is its respect for democracy,
00:25human rights and the rule of law, an opinion held most strongly by respondents in Luxembourg,
00:31Denmark and Portugal.
00:32Europeans also praise the EU's economic, industrial and trading power
00:37and the good relationships and solidarity between its member states.
00:41On the other hand, the war in Ukraine remains the EU's main challenge, according to 47% of Europeans.
00:48Respondents in Lithuania and Finland think this should be the EU's top priority.
00:53The other main challenges cited by Europeans are irregular migration at 38%,
00:59the cost of living and climate change and environmental issues both at 29%.
01:04A large majority of Europeans believe the EU should diversify its trade relations
01:09with countries all over the world to strengthen its economic independence and support EU businesses.
01:1581% of respondents agree that the EU should take action to help EU industries become more
01:20competitive and decarbonised, while 82% agree that the EU should take action to support fairness across social groups and generations.
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