If a referendum were held today on the question of whether they would support the country's accession to the EU, 68 percent of the citizens of Macedonia would answer in the affirmative, according to the public opinion poll of the International Republican Institute - IRI, conducted in the countries of the Western Balkans in the period from February 2. until March 5.
And in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 68 percent of citizens are in favor of the country's membership in the EU, while that support is strongest in Albania with 92 percent. In Serbia, according to the survey, 40 percent of the citizens would give a positive answer to such a referendum.
"There is a strong desire throughout the Balkans to strengthen ties with Western economies and to join the EU. This broad support shows that people across the region believe that further integration into the European Union can help achieve sustainable prosperity," said Paul McCarthy, Director for Europe at IRI.
According to this, a multinational survey on the Western Balkans by IRI, a "strong majority" in five of the six countries where the survey was conducted, considers the Russian war against Ukraine unjustified. In Serbia, on the other hand, most of the 49 percent fully or somewhat justify Russia.
"Although these numbers are mostly positive, Serbian responses are disturbing. If peace and security are long-term goals in the Balkans, a better option for Serbia will be to reject Russian proposals and build stronger ties with the West," McCarthy said.
In fact, the priorities of the citizens for the governments of the Western Balkans are dominated by economic issues. Apart from Albania, where unemployment was the main problem, high prices and cost of living are the biggest concern for citizens in the other five countries of the Western Balkans. Moreover, in all six countries, corruption emerged as one of the top three priority problems.
