Trust in the EU in CESEE

The economic and financial crisis of 2008–09 and the ongoing sovereign debt crisis since 2010 have undermined EU citizens’ trust in national and European government institutions in many European countries. Against this background we look at trust in the EU in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) on the basis of results obtained from the OeNB Euro Survey. While we find that trust in the EU differs largely across the CESEE countries of the sample, the results are broadly comparable to average levels obtained for euro area countries over the same period. A comparison of pre-crisis and post-crisis levels of citizens’ trust in the EU reveals a certain divide: While trust in the EU declined significantly in the EU Member States of the sample during the sovereign debt crisis, an increase was found for most of the non-EU countries over the same period. A number of major EU integration steps in the latter group of countries may explain this increase. We conclude that prudent communication policies remain key in fostering not only citizens’ general trust in European institutions, but also their understanding of necessary policy measures both in normal times and in particular in crisis times.