Confidence in the European Union (EU) has fallen in the Czech Republic

While 58 percent of Czechs had confidence in the EU last year, this spring it was down to 46 percent, according to a national survey by the academic CVVM polling institute.

During the first decade after accession, the EU’s confidence index among Czechs hovered around 55 percent, with the lowest in 2016. At that time, only 37 percent of Czechs trusted the EU.

After the Slovaks (32%), the Czech’s are the second most Eurosceptic nation in the EU, with only 33 percent of them having a positive impression of the bloc, shows the latest Eurobarometer poll. Furthermore, the only benefit of the EU that the majority of Czechs agree on is free travel, while only 27 percent of them associate the European Union with democracy.

However, the bad news as far as the Czech’s trust in international institutions is concerned continues.

Confidence in NATO and the United Nations (UN) also fell by 11 percent compared to last year, to 56 percent and 52 percent respectively.

Fifty percent of Czech citizens surveyed said they did not trust the EU. As much as 36 per cent and 37 per cent of respondents respectively have no confidence in NATO and the UN.

Only 38 percent of Czechs have confidence in the European Commission and 36 percent in the European Parliament. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, is trusted by a mere 31% of Czechs, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, by 24% and Josep Borell, EU Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, by 23%.

In the past, falling popularity figures were in the mainstream press casually attributed to anti-EU “propaganda” from certain politicians, yet rarely arrived at the conclusion that Brussels could be at fault with some of its policies.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s movement, ODS, that with its coalition partners had won the elections in 2021 with 27.8 percent, now trails at only 14 percent, while his former coalition parties are below the parliamentary threshold of 5 percent.

https://hungarytoday.hu/czechs-falling-out-of-love-with-the-eu-nato-and-their-government/