60% of Citizens of EU Countries Which Haven’t Adopted the Euro Support Making It Their Currency

The Eurobarometer is a summary of public opinion surveys conducted regularly on behalf of the EU Institutions. The survey was conducted between April 20 and 29, 2022, in the countries that have yet to introduce the euro as their currency, which are Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Sweden, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.

In a statement issued on Friday, June 10, the EU Commission also stated that the survey shows broad support for the euro amongst the citizens of these countries, revealing that, on average, 60 per cent of respondents said they favoured introducing the common currency.

In addition, the countries with the most favourable adoption opinions were Romania with 77 per cent in favour and Hungary with 69 per cent. In contrast, the less favourable ones came from Bulgaria and the Czech Republic with 44 per cent in both cases and Sweden with 45 per cent.

“More than half of those surveyed believe that the introduction of the common currency would have positive consequences for their country (55 per cent),” the statement reads.

According to the EU Commission, about 56 per cent of people who took part in the survey think introducing the euro will cause prices to rise.

“Furthermore, the results of the survey show that the citizens of the Member States which do not yet belong to the eurozone are more aware of this subject than before: 53 per cent of those questioned consider themselves informed about the euro, against 51 per cent last year and 44 per cent in 2015,” the statement also explains.

On June 6, the Commission concluded that Croatia is ready to make the euro its currency, becoming the 20th EU country to become part of the eurozone starting next year, on January 1, 2023.

The Commission also added that only Croatia meets all the criteria to become part of the area out of the remaining eight EU members that are not part of it. It also notes that all remaining member states meet the criteria for public finances, except for Romania, which is now subject to an excessive deficit procedure.

In this regard, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that joining the eurozone would strengthen Croatia’s economy and bring benefits to Croatian citizens, businesses and society.

Meanwhile, the EU Executive Vice-President for an Economy that Works for People, Valdis Dombrovskis, hailed Croatia for its commitment, diligence and persistence in trying to meet the conditions for adopting the euro.

He also pointed out that adopting the euro is the last step toward fully integrated EU membership for Croatia.