Citizens of Slovakia are interested less intensively in European Union matters than they used to be a few years ago. While in 2006 52 percent of those polled said that EU matters are interesting for them, now the figure shrank to 40 percent. Interestingly enough, the trend in the rest of EU states is opposite. Interest in developments in the EU has in fact grown among Europeans by 7 percent since 2006.
Citizens of Slovakia are interested less intensively in European Union matters than they used to be a few years ago. While in 2006 52 percent of those polled said that EU matters are interesting for them, now the figure shrank to 40 percent. Interestingly enough, the trend in the rest of EU states is opposite. Interest in developments in the EU has in fact grown among Europeans by 7 percent since 2006. As data of the Euro barometer, the EU’s statistics office from the end of the year 2012 suggest, Slovaks are an exception to this trend. According to MEP Anna Zaborska, representing the Christian Democrats, the first reactions of Slovaks to the EU were more enthusiastic as the country joined it in 2004. Now, as we're in a crisis and EU matters reflect this as well, people view life and the EU more realistically. Data of the Euro barometer further show that the image of the European Parliament (EP) is better in Slovakia than its average perception in the rest of the EU countries. 36 percent of Slovaks view the EP in a positive light. And in fact, around 56 percent of Slovaks would welcome a stronger status for the EP in the future.
Katarína Richterová
