German mood turned against EU, survey shows before European vote

BERLIN (Reuters) – Public opinion in Germany has shifted against the European Union in the last year, a survey by insurer Allianz showed on Wednesday, just over a week before elections to the European Parliament.

In a survey of 6,000 people in several large EU members, the Allianz Pulse 2024 found that after years of being “pro-European”, only 29% of those asked in Germany saw more advantages than disadvantages to being in the EU.

“The trend reversal is obvious,” said the insurer.

The difference between the proportion of German respondents who saw more advantages and the proportion of those who see more disadvantages was minus 2.9%, it said.

The survey found that only Spanish and Polish respondents appeared to be happy to be part of the EU. Opinion was split in Italy and Austria while in France, the mood remained firmly “anti-European”, it said.

By far the most important concern among those asked in the survey, which covered citizens’ views on political and economic issues and their outlook, was economic growth, with the green transformation mattering little for most people.