Survey on EU priorities: energy independence and defense top

In the opinion of many citizens, independence from Russian energy and the strengthening of defense capabilities should have the highest priority in the European Union.

Survey on EU priorities: energy independence and defense top

In the opinion of many citizens, independence from Russian energy and the strengthening of defense capabilities should have the highest priority in the European Union. There is a lot of support for the sanctions against Russia.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has consequences for the attitude of the German public towards the European Union. In a representative study by the Progressives Zentrum Berlin and the Heinrich Böll Foundation, almost 70 percent of those questioned said that independence from Russian energy should be at the top of the EU agenda.

Defense capability ranked second with just under 53 percent, followed by the fight against inflation (almost 35 percent) and food safety (around 30 percent). To the question "After Russia's attack on Ukraine, which goals should be the top priority in the EU?" three different answers could be given.

When it was asked last year what the most important priorities should be in the European policy of the new federal government, a common asylum policy, the enforcement of the rule of law and minimum social standards in the EU were still at the top of the agenda.

According to the survey results, there is great approval for the EU's response to the Russian war against Ukraine. More than 70 percent consider the sanctions that have been passed and support for Ukraine to be appropriate.

Differences in the answers show up depending on party support. While the greatest support was measured in the Greens camp (more than 90 percent), almost 70 percent of AfD supporters consider the EU's reactions to Russia's war to be inappropriate. Among the supporters of the SPD, the approval rating is around 87 percent, among those of the CDU/CSU around 78 percent, around 70 percent among FDP supporters and around 55 percent among Left Party supporters.