Europeans Want a Say in Who Joins the EU

© AP Photo / Yorgos KarahalisPro-euro protesters are seen through a European Union flag during a rally in front of the parliament in Athens, Greece, on Thursday, June 18, 2015
Pro-euro protesters are seen through a European Union flag during a rally in front of the parliament in Athens, Greece, on Thursday, June 18, 2015 - Sputnik International
Subscribe
According to Sputnik.Polls, the majority of Italians (66%), Germans (63%) and the French (63%) want to be involved in decisions regarding the conclusion of EU association agreements* with other countries through national referendums.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The survey was conducted by the opinion poll companies Populus and Ifop for Sputnik News Agency and Radio.

A referendum on the EU-Ukraine association agreement will take place in the Netherlands on April 6.

According to Sputnik.Polls, Italians are most enthusiastic about holding referendums on such deals with other countries. Sixty-six percent of Italians would like to hold a referendum before concluding an association agreement with any new country.

The German and French public broadly share the sentiment, with 63% of respondents in each country in favor of putting the issue to a vote.

European Parliament gives green light to EU–Ukraine agreement - Sputnik International
The Dutch Are to Oppose EU-Ukraine Association Treaty in Referendum
The percentage of those who were against holding a referendum ‒ 23%, 20% and 18% in Germany, France and Italy, respectively ‒ was significantly lower than those who backed such a proposal.

The British public is less definitive about the issue. A rather high percentage of those polled there support the idea of a referendum (43%), however, the share of the public that is unsure either way is also high (40% of people answered “I don’t know”).

The poll in the United Kingdom was conducted by Populus, a leading UK survey company, between March 4 and 9, 2016, and some 1,085 respondents took part in the poll. The surveys in Germany (1,002 people), Italy (994 people) and France (1,005 people.) were conducted on March 8−10, 2016, by Ifop, the oldest public opinion poll company.

© SputnikEuropeans want right to decide EU association with other countries by themselves
Europeans want right to decide EU association with other countries by themselves - Sputnik International
Europeans want right to decide EU association with other countries by themselves

About the Sputnik.Polls Project

The international public opinion project was inaugurated in January 2015, in partnership with Populus and Ifop France's oldest polling institute. The project organizes regular surveys in the United States and Europe on the most sensitive social and political issues.

Sputnik (sputniknews.com) — is a news agency and radio network with multimedia news hubs in dozens of countries. Sputnik broadcasts through its websites, analog and digital radio, mobile apps and social media. Sputnik newswires, available by subscription, run around the clock in English, Arabic, Spanish and Chinese.


*Ukraine and the EU signed an association agreement that establishes a political and economic association between the parties, as well as a free trade area. According to the agreement, Ukraine must also bring its economy and laws into line with EU requirements. Association is a necessary step on the way to full membership.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала