BRUSSELS – The Standard Eurobarometer for Spring 2025 was released today, showing the highest level of trust in the European Union among its citizens since 2007. In the Western Balkan countries, which were also included in the survey, the trust in the EU is highest in Montenegro and Albania, and lowest in Serbia.
The surveys were carried out in each country in March and April 2025. According to the results, 52% of EU citizens tend to trust the EU, the highest result since 2007.
In the meantime, 43% of EU citizens continue to have a positive image of the EU, while 38% have a neutral image and 18% have a negative image of the EU and 62% of EU citizens are also optimistic about the future of the EU.
When it comes to the Western Balkans, 83% of citizens of Montenegro tend to trust the EU, while 17% tend not to trust it. Citizens of Albania and Kosovo also have a high level of trust in the EU – 80% and 79%, respectively.
The trust in the EU is lower in North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it is still above 50%. In North Macedonia, 54% of citizens say they tend to trust the EU, while 42% tend not to trust it. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, 58% of citizens trust the EU and 37% do not trust it.
In Serbia, on the other hand, only a minority of people trust the EU – 37%, while 57% say they tend not to trust it.
When it comes to EU membership, the situation in the region is similar. More than 80% of citizens of Montenegro and Albania believe it would be a good thing.
In North Macedonia and BiH, that number is between 50% and 60%, while in Serbia, only 34% of citizens say membership would be a good thing, while 32% believe membership would be a bad thing.
The respondents from the EU were asked whether they would support “enlargement of the EU to include other countries in future years”. In the EU as a whole, 54% of citizens support this policy, while 39% are against it.
The enlargement of the EU has a majority of support in most of the member states, but the majority of citizens of Germany and Austria oppose it. In both countries, 42% of citizens are for enlargement, while 53% are against it.
In France, 41% of citizens are for enlargement and 49% are against, though the number of opponents has decreased since the previous Eurobarometer.