Brussels continues to push for mandatory distribution of migrants
Since the migration wave of 2015, the European Union has repeatedly tried to impose a binding legal framework on Member States to participate in the mechanism for the allocation and inclusion of migrants. But the plans of the Brussels elite have provoked resistance from the Member States and divided the European public. After nearly a decade, the EU legislature has finally adopted a new migration pact that allows illegal immigrants to be resettled in EU Member States. Although the Hungarian government has been firmly opposed to the resettlement of foreign nationals in Hungary from the outset, pressure from Brussels has continued, and the adoption of the migration pact has given new impetus to the plan. Given the high security policy importance of immigration to the European Union, Századvég surveyed Europeans’ views on the measure.
Europeans reject the resettlement of illegal migrants
The results of the survey show that 60% of EU citizens do not agree with the new migration pact, which allows illegal migrants to be resettled in European countries without the say of Member States. The percentage of those in favour of the measure is only 27%.
A comparison between countries shows that Hungary has the highest percentage of those who reject the migration pact: 85% of the population do not want illegal immigrants to settle in the country. 79% of Czechs, 77% of Bulgarians and 72% of Croats and Slovaks also reject the mandatory distribution of migrants.
Sweden and Italy are the ones where the measure divides the population the most, but the share of those who reject it (42% and 47% respectively) is also higher than the share of those who support it (33% and 35% respectively).
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, energy and migration. 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.
