Czechs want to stay in the EU, poll shows

If the Czech Republic held a referendum on leaving the EU today, 63% of Czechs would vote to remain, a fresh survey conducted in one of the EU’s most eurosceptic countries found.

The survey was conducted by the Europeum Institute and analytical agency STEM even though no such referendum is currently on the political agenda.

Indeed, Czechs are generally optimistic about the EU, with 56% of respondents expressing this opinion. Still, they remain sceptical about introducing the common euro currency, as less than one in five said they favoured adoption, the Czech News Agency reported.

Besides examining Czechs’ attitudes towards the EU, the survey also found that most Czechs still support welcoming Ukrainian refugees. According to Interior Ministry figures, there are currently some 325,000 in the country.

Still, Jaromír Mazák, director of the STEM research agency, believes that while support for accepting Ukrainian refugees has been stable over time, it is quite fragile.

“More than half of the public is concerned about the negative impact of migration from Ukraine on the quality of public services and the economy as a whole,” said Mazák, as quoted by the Czech News Agency.

The survey found that 44% of Czechs are willing to help even at the cost of a slight decline in their own standard of living.

In contrast, 67% of the respondents think the state does more for Ukrainians than it does for its citizens.

“In the long run, Czechs do not perceive Ukrainian refugees as beneficial. Only 28% think refugees from Ukraine will benefit the Czech Republic in the future,” Havelka said.

(Aneta Zachová | EURACTIV.cz)