A European Commission survey suggested Thursday a majority of European Union citizens want the EU constitution overhauled or abandoned. The survey asked 29,230 people for their opinions on the document in March and April of this year. Just 23 percent of respondents approved of the constitution in its current form, while 47 percent want the text of the document altered and 13 percent want the document scrapped, the EU Observer reported.
The current text of the constitution failed to gain the approval of French and Dutch voters in 2005. However, support for the idea of an EU constitution remains strong in those countries, with 62 percent support in France and 59 percent in the Netherlands. Support exceeds 70 percent in Hungary, Belgium, Germany and Italy, but falls below 45 percent in Britain, Denmark, Finland, Austria and Sweden. The survey also found that 45 percent of Europeans support enlarging the EU, while 42 percent oppose expansion -- a four point drop in support from fall 2005. |