A recent poll conducted by Ipsos across 18 EU member states has shed light on a growing sentiment of dissatisfaction among Europeans towards the European Union’s handling of migration policy.
The survey, conducted for Euronews ahead of the elections to the European Parliament, has revealed significant disapproval in various nations, with France, Austria, and Hungary emerging as the most critical.
According to the poll, a staggering 51 percent of Europeans hold a “negative” assessment of the EU’s impact on migration policy. In contrast, only 16 percent express a “positive” view, while 32 percent believe the impact falls in the “neither positive nor negative” category.
The discontent resonates across demographics, spanning genders, age groups, and occupations, and appears consistent in most countries surveyed. Notably, France leads the charge with 62 percent expressing dissatisfaction, closely followed by Austria at 60 percent and Hungary at 58 percent.
Conversely, Denmark, Romania, and Finland exhibit the least criticism at 26 percent, 27 percent, and 32 percent respectively.
Voting intentions further illuminate the divide, with the far-right Identity and Democracy group and the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists garnering the harshest criticisms at 78 percent and 65 percent respectively.
On the opposite end, the Left presents a critical stance at 55 percent.
The centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), often accused of embracing far-right rhetoric for electoral gains, faces nuanced criticism with 46 percent expressing negativity, 20 percent positivity, and 34 percent neutrality. Similarly, supporters of the centre-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) remain divided, with 33 percent negative, 24 percent positive, and 42 percent neutral.
The survey underscores migration policy as the most disparaging aspect of the EU’s performance, surpassing concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
