EU resolution funds should only go to countries that respect the rule of law

In a recent opinion poll carried out for the European Parliament, four out of five respondents (81 percent) say that the EU should only provide funding to those Member States that respect the rule of law and democratic values.

“The European Parliament has made it clear that EU resolution funds should not go to governments that fail to respect fundamental democratic values ​​or uphold the rule of law. This survey confirms that the vast majority of EU citizens agree. If someone consistently undermines EU values, they shouldn't expect EU funding,  Parliament President David Sassoli said.

Citizens are positive about the European Union's €800 billion recovery program: three in five (60 percent) believe NextGenerationEU projects will help their country overcome the economic and social damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In Poland, as many as 64 percent of respondents believe that NextGenerationEU offers a way out of the crisis caused by the pandemic.

59 percent of citizens also say that the program will help their country better prepare for future challenges. In this context, the survey also shows that 53 percent of European citizens have a positive image of the European Union and only 19 percent have a fairly or very negative view of it. Among Polish respondents, the percentage of people favorably disposed towards the EU is even greater, as 70 percent of respondents have a positive image of the EU, and only 25 percent have a negative opinion of it.

It is worth noting that Polish citizens named "democracy and the rule of law" in the second place (37 percent of respondents) among the key priorities for the Parliament, which are eighth in the EU average, followed by public health (32 percent of Polish respondents), human rights ( 28 percent), and measures to combat poverty and social exclusion, the fight against terrorism and the future of Europe (26 percent each).

(WBJ)