EU wide study finds growing support for EU actions to protect its citizens during crises
Earlier this month, the European Parliament published the results of its biannual survey of EU citizens. These studies assess how Europeans feel about the EU, and which priorities they think the EU should focus on. The September 2025 survey found clear majorities in favour of increased EU action to protect its citizens during crises, and a more crisis-responsive EU budget.
Key finding: Europeans prioritise safety over competitiveness
The September poll found significant support for a stronger role for the EU in protecting its citizens from global challenges. 68% of Europeans now believe that the EU should have a stronger role in protecting its citizens from global crises and security risks, a 2% increase since the last survey in February 2025. Outside of crises and security, 90% also believe that the EU should be more united when facing global challenges.
Europeans also overwhelmingly support a new EU budget, which empowers it to play a bigger role in crisis response. 91% of respondents considered it either very important (50%) or fairly important (41%) that the next EU budget is flexible enough to adapt to unforeseen events, which the survey identified as including natural disasters, price shocks, armed conflicts and pandemics.
Finally, despite the current focus in Brussels on improving competitiveness, Europeans would prefer an EU that prioritises its citizens’ safety. 37% identified defence and security as the most important area for EU action, the highest of any option, while 32% chose improving competitiveness.
Concluding points
The September 2025 survey shows that Europeans support increased EU action to protect its citizens, and a stronger and more flexible EU budget to achieve this. Support for EU action on safety remains consistently high, with the figures slightly above those from the previous EU survey in February 2025.
For public safety professionals, this survey underlines the need for the upcoming Digital Networks Act (DNA) and the revision of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) to strengthen the effectiveness and resilience of Europe’s emergency communications systems. These systems are a first line of defence for people during a crisis, allowing governments to communicate with their populations through public warnings, and allowing people to provide information to emergency services and get help if they are in danger.
Given the importance of emergency communications in improving safety during crises, creating stronger rules for the sector in the UCPM and DNA would be an excellent first step for the EU to build the safer Union that its citizens expect.
