A drop in favorable attitude towards EU and NATO in Serbia

Belgrade, Feb. 13, 2010 ( Source: Tanjug) - TNS Medium Gallup Director Srbobran Branković said on Wednesday that the agency’s latest poll shows a drop in the favorable attitude towards NATO and the EU. The poll, which was conducted between January 28 and February 2, shows that 62 percent of the Serbian citizens would vote in favor of joining the EU in a referendum.
Branković told Tanjug that the number was considerably lower than a year ago, when 65 to 70 percent of Serbians would have voted for EU accession. According to him, the trend is not specific to Serbia, because in all countries that went through European integration, enthusiasm waned as the process went on. “As the countries got closer to the EU, skepticism increased.
The cause were probably the failed, overblown expectations as to the quality of life and living standard. In spite of the drop, in Serbia we still have overwhelming support for joining the EU,” Branković said. When it comes to the support for NATO, which, according to the news agency, "never approached figures over 50 percent", Branković said that the additional drop in popularity was caused by the recent "political campaigns" which "refreshed people's memory about the (1999) bombing and revived old animosities". According to the poll, only 20 percent of Serbian citizens would support NATO accession, which is four percent less than last year.