Lithuanians among most optimistic about EU future

Looking at the EU’s future, 74 percent of Lithuanians are positive about it, making it to the top 5 of the most optimistic nations in the union. Financial reasons for optimism are obvious: from 2014 to 2020, every Lithuanian will receive EUR 2,296 per capita from the EU’s structural funds and every invested euro will bring EUR 1.97 of the nominal GDP in return.

The vast majority of Lithuania’s residents (91 percent) believe that the EU’s investments should be mostly directed to the health, science and education, and social welfare areas.

A new trend appeared in the latest survey: Europeans have pushed aside the economic situation problems and now consider immigration as the EU’s most challenging problem. More than half of those surveyed in Estonia, Germany, and Malta believe that it is the number-one problem, while only 31 percent of Lithuanians have the same opinion.

The euro which was introduced in Lithuania this year has retained its popularity: over half of Lithuania’s residents are happy with the common currency. 21 member-state of the EU28 are satisfied with the euro: Estonia, Slovakia, and Luxembourg top the list, while the British and Czechs have the worst opinion about the euro.

Europeans continue to believe that the biggest advantage of the EU is the free movement of persons, goods, and services among the member-states, the majority of surveyed Lithuanians also agree with it.

Eurobarometer surveyed nearly 32,000 residents of the Union, and more than 1,000 in Lithuania.