Trust in the European Union and its institutions has reached a nearly two-decade high, according to a report published on Wednesday.
The Eurobarometer survey conducted by the European Commission shows that 52% of Europeans trust the EU, marking the highest level since 2007, Reuters reports.
The highest proportion - 59 percent - of those who trust are young people aged 15 to 24. In contrast, only 36% of those surveyed said they trust their national governments.
The findings come amid unprecedented tensions between the European bloc and the US, and just a few days after Trump postponed the threat of imposing 50% tariffs on EU imports until July 9, allowing negotiations to continue between Washington and Brussels.
Trump was not directly mentioned in the survey questions.
The survey was conducted between March 26 and April 22 in all 27 EU member states, with 26,368 face-to-face interviews.
What the Eurobarometer shows for Romania
For Romanians, their trust in the European Union is even higher than the European average - 56% said they trust, compared to 37% who do not trust (7% said they do not know). Also, the proportion of Romanians declaring optimism about the future of the European Union is slightly higher than the European average - 65% versus 62%.
However, only 31% said they trust the national Parliament (the European average is 37%) and 34% trust the national government (compared to the European average of 36%).
Only 27% of Romanians believe that the economic situation in the EU will worsen in the next 12 months, while the European average is 33%. On the other hand, 37% of Romanians expect their country's economic situation to deteriorate in the next 12 months (the European average on this is 40%).
Where Romania differs from the European average
A significant difference from the European average was noted among Romanians when asked about the biggest issue facing the country at the current time. 40% said inflation and the cost of living, while the European average of those concerned about this issue is 31%.
The country's economic situation is the biggest concern for 26% of Romanians, while the European average is 20%. Only 10% are concerned about security and defense, while the European average is 15%.
Another significant difference between Romanians and the European average is regarding the topic of immigration. Only 5% of Romanians consider this to be a problem for the country in the next year, while this response was given by 14% of Europeans.
Additionally, only 8% of Romanians consider this to be a major issue for the EU in the next year, while the European average is 18%.