The Agenda for Europe – electronic polls from the 2022 Finance Workshop

02 April 2022

The Agenda for Europe – electronic polls from the 2022 Finance Workshop

On Saturday, April 2, 2022, the public gathered in Cernobbio for “The Outlook for the Economy and Finance” responded to a poll on the European agenda.

In the light of the tragic events occurring in neighbouring Ukraine, 38.3% of the public believes that the European Union should prioritise the creation of a European army that can intervene autonomously in war or conflict zones. For 34% the priority should be increasing investments and rationalise military expenditure with a view to efficiency. 8.5% believes that the involvement of the EU in this kind of crises should be minimal, in order to maintain a condition of neutrality in conflicts, and it should instead be entrusted to the NATO.

Since the beginning of the conflict, the trust in EU institutions has grown for almost 50% of the public, while it remained unchanged for 39%. 60% approves the management of the economic crisis related to Covid-19. According to the audience, the European Central Bank’s performance has deteriorated in 2022 compared to 2020.

With regards to the Stability and Growth Pact, 44% of them think that is must be reformed drastically, 37% believe that it should be restored but by reforming its parameters, and 13.2% reckon that it would be better to postpone the restoration to 2023.

Half of respondents believes that more common policies are needed in the EU, starting with taxation, 31.8% would prioritise European federalism, and 14.1% would focus on the creation of a common European defence. For 3.5% it is more important to preserve or increase the independence of their own country and the sovereignty of the Member States.