Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

Continental Defence Policy Splits Europeans

July 30, 2003

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(CPOD) Jul. 30, 2003 - Residents of the European Union (EU) are split over who should make decisions regarding defence, according to the results of the latest Eurobarometer. 50 per cent of respondents believe the EU should take the initiative, while 46 per cent say each country should decide unilaterally.

Support for a continental compromise was strongest in Luxembourg, Belgium and Spain, while less than 10 per cent of respondents in Finland concurred.

Polling Data

Do you think that decisions regarding defence should be made by the government of your country, or jointly within the European Union?

EU

Country

European Union

50%

46%

Luxembourg

68%

27%

Belgium

63%

32%

Spain

60%

35%

Germany

59%

36%

Italy

59%

38%

The Netherlands

58%

38%

Portugal

48%

45%

France

47%

50%

Greece

46%

51%

Denmark

37%

56%

Austria

37%

58%

Ireland

35%

57%

Britain

32%

63%

Sweden

20%

77%

Finland

6%

91%


Source: Eurobarometer / European Opinion Research Group
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews to 16,307 European nationals—ages 15 and up-—in each of the European Union's 15 member states, conducted from Mar. 18 to Apr. 30, 2003. Margin of error ranges from 1.9 per cent to 3.1 per cent.

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