Massive wave of anti-EU sentiment in nations including France and Germany

The Eurobarometer poll found that more than half – 51 per cent – of French and Germans were “totally pessimistic” about the EU’s future.

This compared to 46 per cent of Britons, who voted to leave the European Union on June 23, three weeks after the study, which was conducted between May 21 and May 31.

More than half of respondents in Greece (70 per cent), Cyprus (54 per cent) and Hungary (52 per cent) were also totally pessimistic about the future of the EU.

It means that the EU’s so-called “index of optimism” has reached its lowest level since spring 2013 and has fallen 16 percentage points since spring 2015.

Overall the survey, carried out by the European Commission, found that the “proportion of Europeans for whom the EU conjures up a positive image has decreased by three percentage points to 34 per cent, while the proportion who have a negative image of the EU has rise to 27 per cent since autumn 2015.”

In the past six months the positive image of the EU has lost ground in 20 member states, most strikingly in Romania (down 15 per cent), Croatia (down 14 per cent) and Lithuania (down 10 per cent).

Both Italy (down six per cent) and Germany (down five per cent) also saw a dip. More than a third (36 per cent) of Britons had a totally negative view of the EU.

Austria (37 per cent), Cyprus (41 per cent) and Greece (51 per cent) were the only countries to have a less positive view.

Last night Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen, who led the Vote Leave campaign in the East Midlands, said: “Britain has often been portrayed as the country which has been rocking the boat, but it would seem from the results of the European Commission’s own poll that we are not the only member state to have fallen out of love with the EU.




Credit to Express.co.uk