42% of Latvians think EU should focus on defense and security - Eurobarometer

RIGA - In Latvia, 42 percent of people think that in order to reinforce its position in the world, the European Union (EU) should concentrate on defense and security, a new Eurobarometer survey shows.

Meanwhile, 37 percent of the polled Latvians believe that it is essential to focus on competitiveness, economy and industry, 25 percent suggested focusing on education and research, and 24 percent said that the focus should be on demography, migration and the ageing of society.

According to the Eurobarometer survey, a vast majority of Latvians, or 79 percent, support the financing of projects with money from the EU budget, rather than each member states' own funds. The opposite opinion was voiced by 12 percent of respondents.

A majority, or 62 percent, of Latvians support increasing the influence of the European Parliament (EP), while 23 percent want the EP to have less influence.

The Eurobarometer survey sought to find out whether people support the idea that member states should only given EU money if they respect the principles of democracy and the rule of law. In Latvia, 88 percent of respondents agreed with this position, while 7 percent disagreed.

A majority, of 90 percent, of respondents in Latvia also think it is important that the EP has all the information and tools it needs to properly control the bloc's spending.

The Eurobarometer survey was carried out in Latvia from May 6 to 25 by polling 1,021 people in person. A total of 26,410 respondents were polled across the EU.