Eurobarometer: 74% of Europeans assess the EU, the French and Germans most skeptical

More Europeans than ever think their country has benefited from EU membership, but more have low expectations for the years ahead, a new Eurobarometer survey shows .

With 74% of Europeans across all member states saying they believe their country has benefited from EU membership, the bloc's approval rating is at a record high since the question was first asked in 1983.

Even in Orban's Hungary, 74% see the glass as half full, ahead of Italy (67%) and France (65%).

But when asked specifically about their attitudes towards the EU, a clearer figure emerges. Only 50% of Europeans have a positive view of the EU, compared to 15% who have a negative view, while up to 34% are neutral about it.

While valuations have risen, Europeans' expectations for the next five years are falling.

A third expect their standard of living to decrease – a 7% increase compared to a survey from July last year. The French and Germans lead the way as the most skeptical, with 53% and 47% respectively expecting life to get worse.

The Eurobarometer is a biennial EU-wide survey that tracks EU citizens' attitudes towards the EU and monitors political trends important to the bloc as a whole.

Which peace project?

Amid a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape, Europeans are citing new reasons for supporting the EU.

Some 35% see increased peace and security as the main benefit of being in the Union, closely followed by 34% who see increased cooperation between member states as the bloc's biggest selling point.

This comes after the Commission last week renamed its flagship initiative to increase military spending from "Rearmament of Europe" – a term that sounded too aggressive to Mediterranean ears – to the more toned-down "Readiness 2030", a few weeks after it was first unveiled.

However, despite Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's insistence that the EU is a "soft power political project," more Europeans seem to be warming to the idea of ​​the EU playing a greater role in European defense.

Looking to the future, a similar trend emerges.

More than a third (36%) of Europeans want the EU to focus on defense and security to strengthen the bloc's position in the world, ahead of 32% who mention competitiveness and the economy.