site.btaSociologist: Bulgarians Are Among Most Pro-European Societies in EU

Sofia, May 9 (BTA) - In an interview for BTA, Gallup International Executive Director Purvan Simeonov says that Bulgaria has one of the most pro-European societies in the EU, because of the fact that Bulgarians see mostly the EU's benefits and, in addition, they sometimes treat the Union as the only possible corrective to Bulgarian institutions, as their ally against their own administration and power holders.

Simeonov notes that 2016 saw a drop in Bulgarians' trust in the EU, as a result of all crises and Brexit, but a year later an improvement was registered following a series of elections considered successful for EU integration, and now the trust in the Union is back to its usual levels: around 60 per cent.

Surveys show that the difference in people's attitudes towards the EU is determined not so much by age as by political preferences: the supporters of the Left wing and more nationalist parties tend to be more reserved towards the West, as opposed to those who support centre-right forces. Still, the positive attitudes towards the EU prevail, while NATO causes a greater polarity of opinions, Simeonov tells BTA.

Data indicate that almost all supporters of the ruling GERB party trust the EU, the supporters of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) with a positive attitude towards the Union are a similar percentage to those who have a negative attitude, the supporters of United Patriots are slightly more positive towards the EU compared to the BSP, and more supporters of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms trust than mistrust the EU.

According to Simeonov, the Bulgarian EU Council Presidency is one of the factors that strengthen Bulgarians' trust in the EU, possibly NATO. "When at the end of last year we asked people what they expect from the Bulgarian EU Presidency, we registered positive expectations, including among the BSP supporters, with 55 per cent of respondents saying they expect Bulgaria to do well, and only 16 per cent having negative expectations," he says. He expects that the Bulgarian EU Presidency, which is towards its end, will be evaluated rather positively and this would probably have a positive effect on the EU's image in Bulgaria.

Still, the trust in the EU is not guaranteed and a series of factors could affect it, such as a possible new spike in the migrant crisis, hybrid influences in the information confrontation between the West and the East, strong rhetoric of internal or external political actors, and a possible loss for pro-European forces in the elections in a EU country, Simeonov says. Despite the risks, he remains rather optimistic about Bulgarians' trust in the EU. In his words, given that Bulgarian society has a strong need of justice and sees the EU as a source of more money and rules, the Union's image will not be darkened so easily.