"Necessary partner"

EU citizens tend to view Trump comeback negatively

The comeback of Donald Trump is viewed rather negatively by EU citizens.

(Bild: AP)

The days of the close transatlantic alliance seem to be over: Only 21 percent of EU citizens currently still see the United States as an ally, according to a survey published on Wednesday by the European Council on Foreign Relations (EFCR). According to the survey, 50 percent of respondents in eleven EU states describe the USA as a "necessary partner". Opinions differ significantly when it comes to the assessment of Donald Trump's comeback to power.

Opinions are particularly critical in the leading EU states Germany and France. There, 17% and 16% of respondents respectively describe the USA as a "rival" with whom they have to compete. The most positive attitude can be found in Poland, where 31% see the USA as an ally, followed by Denmark (30%), Estonia (28%) and Hungary (27%). However, even in these countries, clear relative majorities see the USA merely as a "necessary partner". This is even the case in the UK (44%), although 37% of respondents there still state that the USA is an ally.

Trump viewed positively by voters of right-wing parties
The citizens of European countries have different views on the question of whether Donald Trump's return to the White House is a "good" or "bad" thing. The biggest fans can be found in Hungary, where 47% of respondents see the Trump comeback as good for their country. At the other end of the spectrum are the Danes, 66% of whom expect negative consequences for their country. On average across Europe, however, Trump's second term in office is viewed rather negatively.

The survey also analyzed the preferences of voters of right-wing populist parties individually. According to the survey, less than a fifth of voters from Fidesz, PiS, Konfederacja and Fratelli d'Italia consider Trump's re-election to be a bad thing. Voters from the AfD and Rassemblement National are more critical, with 37% and 35% respectively believing that Trump's return to power would be bad for their country.

Ukraine war: majority expect compromise
With regard to the war in Ukraine, opinion is clear across the continent: everywhere, a clear majority expects a compromise solution rather than the victory of one of the two warring parties. This also applies to countries that are firmly on the side of Ukraine, such as Estonia. Even in Ukraine, only 34% of respondents believe in a victory for their own country, while 47% expect a compromise solution. At the other end of the scale are the Hungarians, 28% of whom expect the aggressor Russia to win.

Bulgarians and Hungarians see Russia as a "partner"
Russia enjoys strong support among the populations of some EU states. Relative majorities in Bulgaria (41%), Hungary (37%) and Italy (28%) see Russia as a "necessary partner", while the other states are dominated by the view that the country is an "opponent" (EU average: 44%) - with the highest percentages in Denmark (74%), Estonia (67%), Poland (62%) and Germany (60%).

Opinions in Italy and France could have a negative impact on Ukraine's EU aspirations, with 50% and 47% of respondents respectively believing that the country is not part of Europe. Europeans are divided on China: 43% of respondents see the country as a "necessary partner" or "ally" of the EU, while 35% see it as a "rival" or "opponent".

Majority of Bulgarians expect the EU to disintegrate
The answers to the question on the continued existence of the European Union are also remarkable. Two fifths of respondents believe it is "very" or "fairly" likely that the European Union will disintegrate in the next 20 years. In Bulgaria, 52 percent are of this opinion, followed by France (41 percent), Hungary (40 percent) and Germany (39 percent). Respondents in Denmark are the most optimistic, with only 17% expecting the EU to disintegrate.

The survey was conducted in November in 14 European countries (the EU member states Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Hungary as well as the UK, Switzerland and Ukraine) with a total of 18,507 respondents, who were representative of the respective citizens over the age of 18.