People in Ireland are nearly twice as likely to have a positive view of the European Parliament compared to the European average.
That’s according to the latest opinion polls.
In June 2024, citizens across 27 EU member states will have the chance to vote in the European elections.
Ireland currently has 13 members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
With a year to go, the European Parliament commissioned pollsters to analyse how the EU is perceived by the public.
Close to two-thirds of those polled in Ireland had a positive view of the European Parliament, compared to just over one-third across the EU.
Ireland’s broadly positive perception of the EU is perhaps most strongly linked to economics.
Whilst much of Europe has teetered on the edge of recession in recent months, Ireland continues to prosper.
The latest economic forecast by the European Commission estimates growth of 5.5 per cent for this year, and five per cent again next year.
However, there are underlying social issues where Ireland appears to be significantly less Euro-enthusiastic.
Asked about tackling cost of living, only around half of those polled in Ireland thought the EU was doing enough.
One area which has come to the fore since the start of the Ukraine war is immigration.
Ireland was previously seen as on the sidelines of Europe’s fractuous debate about migrants.
The pressure on housing and local communities has changed that.
The question is whether that feeds through to the European elections next year.