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Opinions on how governments have handled the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic differ widely across Europe, according to a survey released Thursday, which shows Italians are particularly tough on the European Union, AFP reports.
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The survey was conducted in June and July for the More in Common think tank, but was only made public on Thursday, after it was communicated to senior officials in Berlin, Paris, Brussels and London, reports Agerpres.
It provides clues as to what contributed to the historic decision of divided, albeit divided, EU Member States to jointly fund Europe’s massive recovery plan.
The results show the disappointment of Italians towards the EU, amid the lack of solidarity from European partners in the face of the worsening crisis, especially from the Netherlands, which accepted the recovery plan with great reluctance and after heated discussions at the summit European July.
Only 33% of Italians surveyed say that EU membership is a good thing, and 44% say that their trust in the Union has waned during the crisis.
The survey also shows a very different reaction to the crisis in the European countries studied (France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, as well as the UK, which is not a member of the EU).
Most respondents in the UK (62%), the Netherlands and Germany (57% in each of the two countries) say that the pandemic “showed that the majority of people in our country are concerned with each other” . In France, this figure is only 40%.
The French are also negative about whether the national response to COVID-19 has made them “more proud of their country”, with only 39% saying they are “proud.” The percentage is the same for the UK.
On the other hand, national pride reigns supreme in Germany and the Netherlands, where around two-thirds of those surveyed said they were proud of the way their country behaved during the crisis.
When asked if the government was “competent” in the face of the pandemic, 72% of Germans answered affirmatively, compared with just 40% of the French and British.
And respondents in France do not appear to be convinced of the future: only 35% say they have “confidence in the government’s ability to meet the challenges that lie ahead.” The proportion reaches 67% in the Netherlands and 60% in Germany.
The survey was carried out using the quota method, on a sample of 2,000 people in each country.
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