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These Two Nations Could Follow in UK's Footsteps & Leave EU if Given Chance

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Conducted by the European Parliament, the Spring Eurobarometer 2019 poll has yielded revealing data about the Eurosceptic and approval sentiment among EU member states.

While being part of the bloc is viewed as beneficial by the public in majority of EU countries, the number of respondents in Italy and the Czech Republic — who would vote to remain in the EU if a referendum was held in their homeland — has decreased.

Less than half, 47% in Italy and 49% the Czech Republic would support remaining in the EU, according to poll results. Additionally, the number of undecided respondents has increased in these countries.

"Italian respondents are most uncertain, with 32% saying they would not know how to vote in the case of a referendum on their country's EU membership," the poll said.

The authors of the study assign the "rise of uncertainty" to the "politically challenging times for the European Union in the run-up to the European elections in May 2019."

Italy and the Czech Republic saw the rise of euroscepticism in the past several years, championed by politicians such as Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the League Party, Matteo Salvini, and political parties, such as the Czech Civic Democratic Party.

© Sputnik / Alessandro Rota / Go to the mediabankItaly's Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the League Party, Matteo Salvini
Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the League Party, Matteo Salvini  - Sputnik International
Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the League Party, Matteo Salvini

The poll also suggested that the majority of Brits don't believe things are going in the right direction — neither in their country nor in the EU. The UK was set to leave the bloc on 29 March but failed to achieve and agreement on the terms of its exit and is currently facing new deadlines to leave the EU — but only after the European Parliament elections take place end of May.

© AP Photo / Francisco SecoEuropean Parliament members attend a plenary session at the European Parliament in Brussels, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019
European Parliament members attend a plenary session at the European Parliament in Brussels, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019 - Sputnik International
European Parliament members attend a plenary session at the European Parliament in Brussels, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019

In 13 EU countries overall, including also the UK, the number of respondents who are undecided has increased. This rise of uncertainty can be seen as a sign of the politically challenging times for the European Union in the run-up to the European elections in May 2019 — and as a confirmation of the challenge of these elections being indeed crucial for the future of the European Union.

As Europe readies itself for the May vote, the overall mood about the bloc's success has been reported to drop in France and Greece, where 66% of respondents said that things in the EU "are not going in the right direction."

The poll named a number of reasons EU citizens considered it significant to cast their vote in May, including because "they usually vote in political elections and because they feel they are citizens of the European Union; they feel they can change things by voting in the European Parliament elections and because they want to support the European Union or a political party."

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