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Latest Eurobarometer survey shows that young Europeans are among the strongest supporters of EU enlargement

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The European Commission has published a new Special Eurobarometer survey showing that young Europeans strongly support EU enlargement: around two-thirds of respondents aged 15 to 39 share the views that (potential) candidates should join the EU, once they meet the necessary conditions, while 56% are in favour of further EU enlargement and consider it to be beneficial for their own country. According to the survey respondents, the main advantages of expanding EU membership are related to security and defence, to a stronger economy and competitiveness and to EU global influence in the world. However, 67% of citizens say they do not feel well informed about enlargement.

Surveys were also conducted in candidate countries and potential candidates, and they generally show overall support for EU accession. In the Western Balkans, the highest support is registered in Albania (91%) and North Macedonia (69%), while respondents in Serbia display the lowest support in the region with a 33%. In the Eastern Neighbourhood, Georgia and Ukraine show 74% and 68% of support, respectively.

Albanians also have the most positive image of the EU (82%), while in Serbia the percentage is the lowest (38%). In Moldova, more than half of its citizens have a positive image of the EU (55%), while that figure is lower in Ukraine (49%) and Georgia (43%).

In Türkiye, a similar survey showed support for EU membership at 49.9%, while 50.7% of citizens view the EU positively.

The survey results will help inform the Commission's efforts to engage the public both in the EU and in candidate countries and potential candidates about EU enlargement policy. It will also inform the Commission's work on how to better communicate about progress made, including as part of the annual enlargement reporting cycle.

The Special Eurobarometer and perception surveys were conducted through face-to-face interviews between February and June 2025. More information, including on the results of the perception surveys can be found online. The full results and country-specific factsheets of the Special Eurobarometer are available online as well.

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