Almost half of Latvians believe that EU budget should be spent primarily on defense - Eurobarometer

RIGA - Almost half or 48 percent of the Latvian population believe that the European Union (EU) budget should be spent primarily on security and defense, while 35 percent of respondents in the EU Member States highlight this priority, according to a survey conducted by Eurobarometer in autumn this year.

Latvian respondents ranked employment, social issues and public health as the next most important areas where the EU budget should be spent (45 percent), while the EU average was 42 percent.

Education, training, youth, culture and media were the next most important areas for 43 percent of respondents, compared to 36 percent on average in the EU.

There were significant differences in the survey on the agricultural sector. In Latvia, 38 percent of respondents identified this area as important in the EU budget allocation, 14 percentage points higher than the EU average (24 percent), while 18 percent of Latvians support a primary allocation to housing, compared to 26 percent for the EU average.

Compared to the EU average, people in Latvia give less priority to global and environmental issues. Climate change and environmental protection are considered by 9 percent of Latvian respondents compared to an EU average of 27 percent. There is also a significant difference on immigration issues, which was supported by 9 percent of Latvians compared to 20 percent for the EU average.

The survey aims to gauge the views of EU citizens living in the 27 EU Member States, as well as those living in the current and potential candidate countries (except Ukraine) and the UK. The survey was carried out between October 9 and October 29, 2025.