Tim za socijalno uključivanje i smanjenje siromaštva

In the case of a referendum, 47% of Serbian citizens would support Serbian membership in the EU, while 29% would not it was stated by the European Integration Office of the Republic of Serbia on 6 February. Compared to June last year both the percentage of those who are for and those who are against has risen, while the attitude towards the EU has not changed much since December 2015. The majority of the population still thinks that reforms should be implemented regardless to the European integration and that issues with Priština should be resolved through dialogue. For Serbs, Germany and Switzerland represent the best government model.

For the majority of respondents, 17%, Serbian EU membership represents more opportunities for employment, 16% believe it is a road towards the better future for the young people, 15% see it as an opportunity to move more freely within the EU borders, and 11% thinks it is a chance to improve the situation in the country.

The report states that, according to the respondents the most important reforms which have the biggest influence on their everyday lives are public health system reform (16%); fight against corruption (16%), judiciary reform (14%), agricultural reform (10%) and public education reform (10%). Reforms that follow are better consumer protection (8%), improved environmental protection (6%), and human rights.

In December last year 25% of respondents believed that Russia had been the main donor to Serbia over the last 16 years, the report states that this is not consistent with the facts and it indicates that citizens are not familiar with the developmental grant aid received by Serbia since 2000. According to the official data, in the period 2000-2015, the European Union and its member states have been the biggest donors in Serbia with grants worth more than EUR 2.7 billion.

The public opinion poll “The European Orientation of Serbian Citizens” was performed by the European Integration Office of the Government of the Republic of Serbia in December 2016; it was performed according to the Eurobarometer standard. The poll included 1,054 respondents.

Source: EurActiv.rs