Budapest
7 May 2024
In February this year, Sweden and Denmark closed their investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline in September 2022. Germany is now the only country conducting an official investigation, but the government, according to the German press, is not interested in naming those responsible. The latest development is that China has launched an international investigation, and former CIA expert Larry C. Johnson told the UN Security Council that NATO countries are following the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” principle.
The Nord Stream explosion caused serious economic damage to both Germany and the European Union. The fact that, after nineteen months, the perpetrators have still not been brought to justice sets an unfavourable precedent, as it suggests that an action against the EU on this scale can go unpunished. In addition, the lack of clarity of the case creates an opportunity for other countries to use the media to shape public opinion in their own political interests. Results of Századvég’s Project Europe research suggest that the majority of EU citizens are aware of these risks and 63% are concerned that the investigation is still inconclusive.
A comparison between Member States shows that only Finland has a majority of people who are not concerned about the length of investigations. The incident, on the other hand, is most worrying for Greeks (75%), Hungarians (74%) and Portuguese (72%).
It is also worth noting that in Germany, where the investigation is still ongoing, 71% were concerned about the lack of investigation results, while in Denmark and Sweden, where the investigation has been closed without naming those responsible, 65% and 58% respectively were concerned.
In the first half of 2016, the Századvég Foundation conducted a public opinion survey covering the 28 Member States of the European Union to examine the views of European citizens on the issues that most affect the future of the Union. The Project28 public opinion survey was the most extensive ever, with a unique survey of 1,000 randomly selected adults per country, totalling 28,000. The main objectives of the survey were to gauge public sense of prosperity and to explore public attitudes towards the performance of the European Union, the migration crisis and rising terrorism. Following the surveys of 2017, 2018 and 2019, the Századvég Foundation, on behalf of the Hungarian government, continued the research since 2020 under the name Project Europe, which continued to reflect on the most dominant topics in European political and public discourse.
Once again, the 2024 survey aimed to explore public attitudes to the most important public issues affecting our continent. In addition to the public sense of prosperity, the performance of the European Union, the energy crisis and the migration crisis, and in line with the new challenges facing Europe, the main topics of this year’s public opinion poll are the rising geopolitical tensions, the perception of the media and child protection. The 2024 survey covered the European Union, the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland, and a total of 30,000 randomly selected adults were interviewed using CATI between 14 February and 15 April.
