Warsaw, July 29 (IANS) The proportion of Poles opposed to Ukraine joining the European Union (EU) has risen to a record 40 per cent, according to a survey released by Poland’s Public Opinion Research Centre (CBOS).
CBOS said public attitudes had undergone a “very large change unfavorable to Ukraine” since its previous survey in 2023, although supporters of Ukraine’s accession still outnumbered opponents.
Opposition to Ukraine’s EU membership rose from 17 per cent in 2023 to 40 per cent this year, while the proportion favouring Ukraine’s accession as soon as possible fell from 18 per cent to 9 per cent, Xinhua news agency reported. Poland introduced special measures following the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, giving eligible Ukrainians access to employment, public healthcare and social benefits.
Public support for Ukrainian refugees has since declined. Another CBOS poll released on July 17 showed that 52 per cent of respondents opposed accepting more Ukrainian refugees, compared with 42 per cent who were in favor. It marked the first time opposition had outweighed support since the survey began.
Ukraine was granted EU candidate status in June 2022, and accession negotiations were formally launched at the first EU-Ukraine Intergovernmental Conference in June 2024.
Earlier this year, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas said she felt that the EU member states are not ready to give a concrete date regarding Ukraine’s EU membership.
“There’s a lot of work to be done,” she said at the 62nd Munich Security Conference in February. In the end, “it’s always the geopolitical picture” that shapes such decisions, she added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been calling for a specific date for Ukraine to formally join the EU.
–IANS
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