EU Trust Hits 20-Year High Amid Global Challenges
Above: A European Union flag at the Chancellery, near the Reichstag building, ahead of a visit by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's president, in Berlin, Germany, on May 28, 2025. Image copyright: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Despite global upheaval and rising populism, Europeans increasingly recognize the EU's indispensable global role. Trust in the Union has grown while faith in national governments crumbles, revealing a profound truth; in an era of transnational challenges — from climate change to AI — Europe's strength lies not in fragmented nationalism but in unified action.
Establishment-critical narrative
The latest Eurobarometer poll may try to paint a picture of unity, but it cannot conceal the rising tide of rebellion across Europe. From Paris to Budapest, patriotic and conservative forces are surging, rejecting EU overreach, mass migration, and elite arrogance. Brussels may cling to its illusions, but the people are awake, and they are taking Europe back.