The Diplomat
The latest Barometer from the Elcano Royal Institute reflects that 80% of Spaniards support sending military aid to Ukraine and that more than half (52%) are in favor of the European Union becoming more involved in the war in that country, through opening of negotiations with Russia.
The results of this last wave of the barometer – carried out between March 13 and April 9 – released yesterday, indicate that respondents consider that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is the main challenge facing the States of The EU.
Specifically, 32% believe that the EU will continue sending military aid to Ukraine until Russia’s complete withdrawal from Ukraine is achieved; and 30% until it is withdrawn from part of the occupied country. 18% choose not to withdraw aid until Russia is defeated and only 20% say that Europe should stop sending military support now.
Given the persistence of the conflict, 52% of those surveyed are in favor of negotiating with Russia as the main measure, followed by sending military material and financial aid (38%), stopping importing Russian gas immediately (27%) and send troops to Ukraine (7%).
The war in Ukraine is seen by 29% of respondents as the EU’s main challenge, followed by climate change (19%), immigration (17%) and other issues such as inflation (16%), war of Gaza (11%) or energy supplies (8%).
The Elcano Royal Institute warns that despite concern about war, Spaniards are very unfavorable to investment policies in weapons, both at European and Spanish levels. At the same time, he detects a “certain fatigue” with the war in Ukraine, related to the perspective that the war will continue to last a long time, something shared by 90% of those surveyed.
Almost two thirds of Spaniards (63%) believe that security in Spain is not threatened by any other country. Among the remaining 38%, almost half point to Morocco and just over a third to Russia. The fear of jihadist terrorism is very minority.
European elections
On the other hand, regarding the elections to the European Parliament, 54% of Spaniards predict that after June 9, the European Parliament “will be more to the right”, while 32% believe that the political composition will remain ” more or less” like the current one, an idea that coincides with the surveys spread in Europe in recent weeks. Only 10% of those surveyed believe that the European Parliament will be “further to the left than the current one.”
Although 35% of citizens admit that the upcoming elections are very important and another 35% consider them “quite a bit” (22% see them as of little importance), 63% do not know that Ursula Von der Leyen chairs the Commission European, compared to 31% who said yes.
The data shows, as in previous barometers, that interest in European politics and institutions “is low in Spain”, as demonstrated by “the fact that less than a third of those interviewed remember the name of the president of the European Commission”, highlights the barometer.
