The results of a special Eurobarometer survey published yesterday by the European Commission show that 60% of Europeans feel that they personally benefit from international trade, 16 percentage points more than 10 years ago at the time of the previous poll. The survey also revealed that 71% of respondents believe that the EU is more effective in defending their countries’ trade interests than these countries acting on their own.
Yesterday’s report covers a whole range of aspects related to awareness, perceptions and attitudes of European citizens towards international trade, among others:
- Objectives and priorities for EU trade policy: 54% of respondents suggest that the main priority of the EU trade policy should be to create jobs in the EU. Defending EU environment and health standards has also become important to Europeans, half of the respondents consider it a priority. This is 20 percentage points more than in 2010. More than half of Europeans recognise at the same time that the EU trade policy has already been taking into account the social, environmental and human rights impacts within the EU and worldwide.
- Need for international trade rules: Three quarters of Europeans agree we need international trade rules.
- Trust and transparency: Six in ten say that they trust the EU to conduct its trade policy in an open and transparent manner.
- Benefits of trade: 54% of those considering international trade beneficial for them put it on awider choice of products, while 36% sees price reduction as the most important advantage. These benefits seem to be more tangible for younger respondents and those with a higher level of education and income.
- Fairness in international trade: one third of those questioned think that it is naïve to expect that other countries will follow trade rules. More than half of the respondents think that the EU should increase import duties on non-EU countries or businesses that do not play by international trade rules.
The findings of the survey confirm therefore a good match between the priorities formulated by EU citizens and those set out in the EU “Trade for All” strategy followed over the last five years.
The data presented in the report will also serve as an important basis for definition of objectives and trade policy practices for the years to come.
More Information
Full report and survey results for each country
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