Alpha Research poll: 60% of Bulgarians firmly support that the country should stay in the EU

Sixty percent (60%) of the Bulgarians remain firmly in favour of Bulgaria's EU membership and are not looking for another geopolitical alternative, according to data from a poll by the Alpha Research polling agency. the results of the survey were relased on March 13

At the beginning of March, when the negotiations on the future of the rotating cabinet entered a fateful phase and the dilemma "government with Mariya Gabriel as PM or new elections" still has an unclear outcome, Alpha Research conducted its first survey on public attitudes towards the main policies of the European Union, voting intentions for the European Parliament and potential electoral attitudes.

Although it is very early to talk about specific predictions, as neither the condition of the parties in three months' time (the European elections are in early June) nor whether there will be any new players in them is clear, the results of the survey clearly show that there is a different logic of mobilisation and voting in national and European elections, which introduces significant nuances in the balance between the weight of political forces.

One of the main conclusions of the survey is that Bulgaria’s European belonging is not in question. About 60% of Bulgarians maintain their strong support for Bulgaria's membership in the European Union and are not looking for another geopolitical alternative. At the same time, however, both because of Bulgaria's failure to move closer to the core of EU countries in terms of living standards and equality before the law and because of the series of crises in Europe over the last decade, scepticism towards the way of governing the Union and its specific policies is growing at an accelerated pace.

12% of adult Bulgarians say they fully approve of the way the EU is run today, 42% only somewhat approve, and 39% are definitely dissatisfied.

Although many of the details of EU policies and debates remain aside from the attention of the Bulgarians, there is a trend of Bulgarians strongly approving those policies that give them a chance to benefit from the achievements and guarantees of more developed European countries, but are most critical of those that are implemented, or are to be implemented, by Brussels at national level.

The survey registers the most positive attitude towards the possibility for Bulgarians to turn to the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg in case of violation of their rights (84%). This is followed by satisfaction with the opportunities for labour migration, i.e. to work in EU member states (81%), and the envisaged establishment of a common European security system (68%).