How Austrians Rate EU Membership
The European Commission and the Austrian Society for European Politics have sounded out the mood across Austria in the course of their EU Future Tour.
People in Vienna, Burgenland and Vorarlberg are most enthusiastic about EU membership. / Picture: © Vindobona.org
The European Commission and the Austrian Society for European Politics (ÖGfE) conducted accompanying surveys for their climate-friendly EU Future Tour to see how Austrians evaluate EU membership.
People in Vienna, Burgenland and Vorarlberg are most enthusiastic about EU membership. The most positive results were found in Vienna, with 56% of people liking the EU, in Burgenland, it is 47% of the people and in Vorarlberg 46%.
Since May 9, 2021, this examination was conducted in all Austrian provinces to talk to people about the future of Europe. In the process, they collected people's wishes, expectations, suggestions and complaints. They showed their closeness to the citizens to better understand the people in Austria.
It is also about bringing the policies of the EU closer to the people. The EU as a supranational construct in Europe is not only important for peace and the economy in Europe. What exactly membership means must be brought closer to the people.
"Our EU Future Tour has once again proven how important it is to discuss Europe on the ground and also to show what European policies do on the ground. EU funding is all too often incognito. Yet it is essential that people see what the EU does for them to get a fair picture of the benefits of membership. Where there is EU funding, there must be EU on it." says EU Ambassador Martin Selmayr.
Viennese citizens most frequently believe that the EU should give "high priority" to climate and environmental protection (68%). The desire is similarly strong in Upper Austria (65%) and Salzburg (64%). When it comes to narrowing the gap between rich and poor, Carinthia (65%) and Tyrol (63%) are slightly more likely to see this as an urgent priority than other provinces.
When asked about political decisions that affect their own lives, a relative majority in all provinces have the greatest trust in regional politics. This is most pronounced in Vorarlberg (58%), Lower Austria (57%), Burgenland and Carinthia (54% each).
ÖGfE Secretary-General Paul Schmidt summed this up, "People trust above all those political structures that know them best and are closest to them - the European level is rarely mentioned here. This makes it all the more important for regional politics, in particular, to address European contexts and set the record straight. The debate on the future of the EU allows politicians to gather people's concerns and translate them into concrete decisions. It is a great opportunity to strengthen confidence in the common European future and to reduce the perceived distance between the regional and European levels. Even if the EU Future Conference now formally ends, it is clear: the debate on the future of Europe continues."
The plenary session of the Future of Europe Conference agreed at the end of April on 49 detailed proposals on a wide range of topics - from climate change to health and migration to the EU's role in the world.