A majority of Irish people are satisfied with the way the EU is developing at present, according to an Irish Times/MRBI poll. Irish people are among the most enthusiastic in Europe about the EU, and its ability to improve their economic and social situation, the poll shows. A majority supports the switch to the euro.
However, the survey reveals a high level of ignorance of leading European figures, including the heads of many continental European states.
Some 1,000 people were questioned by MRBI last month for the poll, which was carried out as part of a broader Eurobarometer survey. Corresponding polls were carried out at the same time in 10 other European states.
General satisfaction with developments in the EU runs at 56 per cent in Ireland, higher than in any other state and more than twice the level in the UK. One in five Irish people is not satisfied with the way Europe is developing.
The Irish also have more confidence in the European Commission and the European Parliament to improve things than just about any other nationality in Europe. However, the EU is still perceived as a relatively distant institution, with less than half of Irish people believing it exerts an influence on their personal lives. Only the Greeks believe the EU has so much influence.
We take a generally favourable view of the EU's ability to improve matters in areas such as unemployment and the environment. However, there are two exceptions: on both immigration and the fight against drugs and crime, more than 40 per cent of people said they have no confidence in Europe.
A majority - 56 per cent - agreed that the European Commission was a bureaucratic organisation, but this still ranked as the lowest proportion among the 11 states.
We also tend to think of our Eurocrats as fair, efficient and not at all weak, though few of our fellow Europeans agree. Only one-quarter of Irish people think the Commission is in touch with the concerns of ordinary people.
A majority - 52 per cent - of Irish people welcomes the introduction of the Euro, but a quarter say they are not satisfied with the replacement of the pound. These figures are broadly in line with sentiment in the other states switching over to the euro.
Support for the euro in Ireland is highest among the young, and among men.
Not surprisingly, Mr Bertie Ahern and Mr Tony Blair score 99 per cent awareness, but our level of familiarity with continental politics is more modest. Two-thirds said they were aware of Mr Jacques Chirac and Dr Helmut Kohl, but only one in 10 said they were aware of Mr Lionel Jospin or Mr Jose Maria Aznar, the French and Spanish prime ministers respectively, or Ms Emma Bonino, the EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs.
The prime ministers of the smaller European states and most EU commissioners are virtually unknown in Ireland, and even Mr Romano Prodi, Italy's Prime Minister until recently, was familiar to just 3 per cent. The best known EU Commissioner was Mr Franz Fischler, who is responsible for agriculture and rural development.
The only Irish figure mentioned in the survey was Mr Ahern, who was unknown to two-thirds of those polled in the UK. Only 7 per cent of Italians were aware of our Taoiseach, and the proportions in other states were even smaller. Mr Ahern's approval rating among Irish people is 85 per cent, just above the 84 per cent scored by Tony Blair. Only 56 per cent of British people approved of their prime minister.
Almost three-quarters of Irish people say they have confidence in their Government to improve their economic and social situation. This is higher than in any of the other 10 countries in the poll.
The survey on European issues was conducted for The Irish Times by MRBI among a sample of 1,000 people last month. It was carried out at the same time in the 10 other European states.
