Carmen González Enriquez presented the Barometer yesterday./ Photo: A.R.
The Diplomat. Madrid
72% of the Spanish population thinks that the European Union must limit the reception of refugees and immigrants, and 66% considers that control of foreign borders must be tightened. This is what the last Barometer of Elcano Royal Institute reveals, whose results were published yesterday.
Therefore, according to the poll, two out of every three Spaniards bet on a more restrictive EU policy facing the massive arrival of refugees –more than a million last year-, as a consequence of the conflictive situations in Syria, Iraq or Libya, among other places. In contrast, 38 per cent believes that Europe must take in anyone getting to its borders.
Nevertheless, opinions are divided on the position maintained by the European Commission and the Council of the EU to take in just those who can have the right to asylum and not accepting illegal economic immigrants. 46% of the Spanish people are against it and 45% are in favour. In any case, 73% thinks that the integration of these people into Europe will not be easy.
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According to the Barometer of Elcano, the main foreign concern is jihadist terrorism
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In relation to the main foreign threats, jihadist terrorism positions in the first place (58%) and the Islamic State in the third one (32%), data that can be influenced by the moment in which the survey was conducted coinciding with Paris attacks of 13 November, as the coordinator of the study, Carmen González Enríquez, director of Spain’s Image Observatory and senior analyst of Elcano Royal Institute, declared.
Those polled also believe that one of the priorities of the Spanish foreign policy must be fighting against jihadist terrorism, which they think must be put before other concerns such as the fight against climate change or assistance to developing countries.
Observing these data, González Enríquez considered logical the fact that there is a significant increase in the percentage of people who think that the military expenditure must be maintained, since this has gone from 28 to 50% compared to the previous barometer.
Besides, half of those polled is in favour of the use of the Spanish bases of Rota and Morón de la Frontera by the United States, compared to 40 per cent who is against it, and 10 per cent who does not know or does not answer.
Furthermore, among the main concerns of the Spanish population are the economic crisis (42%), illegal immigration (16%), the decisions made by the European Union (EU) on economy (13%), refugees (12%), global warming (11%), drug trafficking (8%), Morocco (7%), energy problems (6%), China’s influence (6%), Gibraltar (5%) and Russia (4%).
