Public expectations and EU commitment on the issue of migration

Greater EU engagement in the issue of migration is supported by 74% of EU citizens, according to a new Eurobarometer survey of the European Parliament on ‘perceptions and expectations’. This makes migration issues one of the policy areas with the highest support for EU involvement. Although this support is unevenly spread across the EU, it always comes from a majority of citizens, and sometimes is almost unanimous. The highest support is in Cyprus (91%), Malta (87%) and Portugal (86%). The lowest is in Denmark (57%). Two thirds of EU citizens evaluate the EU’s current involvement in this policy area as insufficient. Citizens’ expectations and preferences of EU involvement in the issues of migration are not yet met despite increased attention to this policy area. The strongest support for more EU involvement in migration is from people between 35 and 74 years old.