Poles See Russian Influence as Real in EU Institutions
A study commissioned by the Center for European Policy Research shows that a majority of Poles believe Russia had opportunities and a tangible impact on decisions made by EU institutions and member governments. The survey finds that more than half of Poles, 53 percent, agree that Russia possessed opportunities and real influence over decisions in member states and within the EU itself. About 27 percent disagree, and roughly one in five respondents offered no opinion on the matter.
Respondents described a real and serious problem of illegal and covert Russian influence within EU institutions and their member states.
Fifty-five percent of those polled felt the issue was real, while 22 percent expressed a firm contrary view.
Additional comments highlighted concerns about links between some European politicians and Russian companies.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents, 61 percent, believed that such dependencies could have influenced political decisions in the countries of those politicians, while 22 percent held the opposite view.
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Has the EU done enough to counter Russian influence?
Poles also expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of EU institutions in countering Russian influence.
Only 21 percent of respondents believed that EU bodies have done everything possible to investigate, explain, and prevent informal ties with Russia. In contrast, 60 percent disagreed, and 18 percent did not express a view.
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The survey asked whether Russia would take steps to win favor with authorities in individual EU member states. Fifty-six percent answered yes, while 29 percent believed Russians were not concerned about such behavior.
The vast majority of Poles favor clarifying all types of links between the EU, its member states, and Russian politics and business through independent bodies. This stance is held by 64 percent of respondents, with 21 percent seeing no need for such clarification. Notably, supporters across nearly all political groups expressed a desire to understand Russia’s influence and ties.
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The study was conducted on behalf of CBPE by PBS Sp. zoo from June 20–26, 2023, using quantitative data collected via CATI. The sample included 1,000 randomly selected respondents.
tkwl/PAP
Source: wPolityce