site.btaMajority of Bulgarians, Europeans Optimistic About EU Future - Survey

A majority of Bulgarians (59%) and other EU citizens (66%) view the future of the European Union with optimism, according to a new Eurobarometer survey presented on Wednesday by the European Parliament.

Half of Bulgarian respondents and other Europeans hold a positive opinion of the EU, while 44% of Bulgarians and 41% of other EU citizens view the European Parliament (EP) positively. Most respondents, 62% in Bulgaria and 72% across the EU, say that EU actions affect their daily lives, with roughly half describing that influence as positive.

For 58% of Bulgarians and 73% of other Europeans, their country benefits from being part of the EU. Among Bulgarians, 47% identify better job opportunities as the main benefit (compared to 25% of other Europeans), while respondents in other member states more often highlight peace and security as key advantages.

Almost half of Bulgarians (49%) and 42% of EU citizens believe the EU is moving in the right direction. However, 50% of Bulgarians and 52% of other Europeans think their own country is not headed in the right direction. In Bulgaria, 43% (compared to 55% across the EU) expect their standard of living to remain unchanged over the next five years, while 27% express pessimism.

More than half of Bulgarians (56%) and 68% of other Europeans believe the EU’s role in addressing global threats will grow. A strong majority, 81% in Bulgaria and 90% elsewhere in the EU, agree that member states should be more united in facing common challenges. 

Support for a larger EU budget is also significant, with 69% of Bulgarians and 77% of other EU citizens in favor of increasing funding to back key projects. However, most respondents (61% in Bulgaria and 64% EU-wide) said they had not recently come across information about the EU’s long-term budget.

A vast majority, 82% of Bulgarians and 85% of other Europeans, support linking the allocation of EU funds to the state of rule of law in member states. Just over 70% back the introduction of new revenue sources for the EU budget, while 58% of Bulgarians and 55% of other EU respondents demand greater transparency in how the budget is allocated, with similar shares seeking efficiency and traceability of spending.

In Bulgaria, 43% of respondents, compared to 62% in the rest of the EU, would like the European Parliament to play a greater role. Key issues that participants want MEPs to address include inflation, defense, poverty reduction, and job creation. Respondents also say the EP should primarily protect peace (over 45%), along with democracy (19% in Bulgaria vs. 33% in the EU), freedom of speech (17% vs. 22%), rule of law (28% vs. 22%), and free movement (34% vs. 15%).

The survey was conducted in May 2025, with 1,039 respondents in Bulgaria.