People in Finland want the European Parliament to focus on defence and security issues, according to findings of the EU Parliament's "Eurobarometer" winter survey.
Meanwhile, respondents in other parts of the bloc prioritised economic issues, like inflation and the cost of living.
Around half of respondents in Finland said defence and security in the EU were the most important issues that the European Parliament needs to address — at the same time only around 31 percent of respondents elsewhere in Europe held similar views.
People in Finland think other issues are also important, including supporting the economy and creating new jobs (40%), action on climate change (33%) and democracy and the rule of law (32%).
Around 43 percent of respondents in other parts of the EU said they thought inflation and rising living costs were important. About 31 percent said fighting poverty and social exclusion was a major issue, while 29 percent of respondents elsewhere in Europe said supporting the economy and creating new jobs were key concerns.
EU expected to play bigger role
About 84 percent of respondents in Finland and 66 percent of their European counterparts believe the EU needs to play a bigger role in protecting them from global crises and security risks, according to the Eurobarometer.
People in Finland and others in Europe often shared the opinion that the EU should focus on defence, security and competitiveness, in order to strengthen the bloc's status around the world. About 49 percent of people in Finland emphasised defence and security measures, compared to about 36 percent of other Europeans doing so.
Around 36 percent of respondents in Finland said the EU should focus on improving competitiveness, the economy and industry — while 32 percent of other EU respondents said so.
The winter barometer survey was commissioned by the European Parliament. It was carried out by the polling firm Verian across the EU's 27 member states from 9 January to 4 February. It queried about 26,300 people, including approximately 1,000 in Finland. The results were weighted according to the size of each country's population.
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