Opinion Corner 3 - How the EU is viewed in Russia
Russians are among the most enthusiastic supporters of the EU project. In a 2009 Pew poll of 47 countries, 69% of Russians said they had a favourable view of the EU. Of the non-European countries polled, only Canada and South Korea had a more positive image of the Union.
Pull out figure: 69% of Russians view EU favourably
(Graphic)
There are three reasons why this rosy view of the EU is somewhat surprising:
- It is not reciprocated. In a 2010 Globescan survey citizens in all six EU countries polled said they had a negative view of Russia’s influence.
- Despite recent spats between the EU and Moscow over energy supplies, human rights and other issues, the percentage of Russians viewing the EU favourably increased from 62 to 69% between 2004 and 2009.
On the basis of interviews with EU experts in Moscow, Russia’s political elites are considerably cooler about the EU than their fellow citizens.
According to political commentators, most Russians don’t know or care much about the EU and those that do believe the bloc to be hobbled by the financial crisis, incapable of acting decisively on the world stage and in a muddled state after the Lisbon Treaty.
Fyodor Alexandrovich Lukyanov, Editor-in-chief, Russia in Global Politics
Pull out figure: 69% of Russians view EU favourably
(Graphic)
There are three reasons why this rosy view of the EU is somewhat surprising:
- It is not reciprocated. In a 2010 Globescan survey citizens in all six EU countries polled said they had a negative view of Russia’s influence.
- Despite recent spats between the EU and Moscow over energy supplies, human rights and other issues, the percentage of Russians viewing the EU favourably increased from 62 to 69% between 2004 and 2009.
On the basis of interviews with EU experts in Moscow, Russia’s political elites are considerably cooler about the EU than their fellow citizens.
According to political commentators, most Russians don’t know or care much about the EU and those that do believe the bloc to be hobbled by the financial crisis, incapable of acting decisively on the world stage and in a muddled state after the Lisbon Treaty.
Fyodor Alexandrovich Lukyanov, Editor-in-chief, Russia in Global Politics