European Union

At the European Council summit in Brussels at the end of June, the heads of state and government of the member states proposed the extension of the mandate of Ursula von der Leyen, the current President of the European Commission, and the European Parliament is expected to confirm the German politician's nomination at its inaugural session in the week of July 15. Given these developments, Századvég evaluated and analyzed the activities of Ursula von der Leyen, covering the period from the Commission's assumption of office on December 1, 2019, to December 31, 2023.

Brussels has called on EU Member States to phase out subsidies on utility rates immediately, even though their abolition would have serious social consequences. The energy crisis is not over, and countries that do not protect their populations from market prices are facing severe energy poverty, according to research by Századvég Europe Project.

6 out of 10 EU citizens do not agree with the new migration pact, which allows illegal migrants to be resettled in the EU Member States without the say of Member States, according to Századvég’s latest Project Europe survey.

The European Parliament and Council have adopted a Commission proposal to phase out fossil fuel boilers for heating buildings in the EU by 2040. The majority of EU citizens disagree with the decision, according to research by Századvég.

Most European citizens disagree with Brussels’ efforts to relax environmental and import regulations on Ukrainian produce, Századvég’s Project Europe research shows.

While 59% of EU citizens would fight for their country on its own soil, just over a quarter (27%) would take up arms outside its borders. In fact, when it comes to the involvement of EU soldiers in Ukraine, there is overwhelming rejection (69%) according to the latest results of Századvég’s Project Europe research.

Századvég has been conducting international public opinion surveys since 2016 to examine the views of European citizens on the issues that most affect the future of the EU. The aim of the 2024 survey of the unique Project Europe survey series was to map public attitudes on the most important public issues affecting our continent. The main topics of research are issues related to the Russia-Ukraine war and the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas. Topics will also include, among others, the sense of prosperity in society, perceptions of the European Union’s activities, energy price developments and energy policy, media, religious affiliation and attitudes to migration. The results of the survey were presented on 7 May 2024 at the Europe in the Shadow of War conference, held in the Várkert Bazár with the participation of several renowned professionals and public figures.

Results from Századvég’s Project Europe survey show that almost two thirds of EU citizens are concerned that, more than a year and a half on, there is still no meaningful result from investigations into the historic scale of attacks on the EU’s critical infrastructure.

The latest Europe Project survey by Századvég revealed that a majority of European citizens do not agree with a ban on motor vehicles with internal combustion engines by 2035.

On 7 October, Hamas militants carried out a terrorist attack against Israel that claimed more than 1,400 lives, most of them civilians. In response to the action of the Palestinian terrorist organisation, Israel has launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip to destroy Hamas infrastructure. At the same time, mass demonstrations, not without antisemitic manifestations, in support of Palestine or Hamas took place in many major cities in Western Europe. In light of these developments, Századvég has mapped public attitudes towards the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Brussels is asking Member States for EUR 50 billion in additional funding for Ukraine. The proposal would not only impose a significant financial burden on the entire population of the EU but would also allow the armed conflict to drag on. However, EU citizens believe that the parties should instead be urged to negotiate peace and the war should end immediately.

As a result of the price rises caused by the energy crisis, the proportion of energy-poor households across Europe has increased significantly, with 22% of the EU population facing difficulties in heating. Hungarian families are the least affected by this problem thanks to the overhead cost reduction policy.

The majority of European citizens believe that the punitive measures benefit America and China, while they harm Ukraine, Russia and the EU. Századvég’s research reveals that almost three times as many respondents think that sanctions are primarily damaging to the European Union as those who see Russia as the primary loser.

Based on the results of the Project Europe Research conducted by Századvég, in all EU Member States, there are more people who believe that the sanctions are primarily harmful to the EU economy than those who believe that they are harmful to Russia. As a result of the punitive measures, the prospects are deteriorating: Almost three-quarters of Europeans think it is likely that their country will plunge into recession next year, and a quarter say it is already in crisis.