Young Romanians and Europe

Young Romanians are optimistic about the future of the EU and content with their personal lives and their jobs, according to a eurobarometer.

Ştefan Stoica, 03.05.2022, 13:50

Three quarters of young
Romanians are optimistic about the future of the European Union and
some 55% believe things are heading in the right direction in the
Union, according to a eurobarometer published on Monday. Support for
EU policies is higher among young people than among other age groups.
Romanian youths are also content with their lives, with 61% of
respondents saying things are going in the right direction on a
personal level and 70% saying they are content on a professional
level.

The main issues for the
Romanian youths are education, the economic situation, unemployment,
housing, the environment and climate change. Although less than a
half discuss European politics, the majority has a positive
perception of how democracy works both in the European Union (63%)
and in Romania (50). Young people over the age of 25 are consistently
more open to European policies than other age groups and have a
strong positive opinion therof. They also believe that shared
values and solidarity have contributed to a sense of community,
alongside the economy, education, the rule of law and culture. The
survey also indicates that 59% of the Romanian youths are satisfied
with their own lives, slightly fewer than the previous year and far
below the EU average of 83%.

Overall, 71% of Romanians
believe their country is in a precarious situation and that things
are heading in a wrong direction, while 45% believe things are going
in the right direction in the European Union compared with the EU
average of 37%. Almost half of Romanians associate the European Union
with the freedom to travel, study and work anywhere on EU territory
and believe this is the Union’s biggest achievement. Other elements
they associate with the EU are the euro currency, a stronger voice on
the world stage, economic prosperity and quality of life for the
future generations. The data presented in the survey were collected
between January and February this year.

Most young Romanians
understand and feel the benefits they enjoy as EU citizens, said
prime minister Nicolae Ciucă in response to the publication of the
eurobarometer. The fact that 70% of the country’s youths are
content with their jobs makes us, those in government, to continue to
develop public policies that encourage young generations to stay and
develop themselves and develop businesses in Romania, the prime
minister also said. He added that the use of 80 billion euros of
European funds to improve the standard of public services and enhance
development opportunities for the business environment is a
commitment public administration must fulfil so as not to disappoint
the young generation. (CM)