A quarter of Europeans consider the United States a "rival or adversary"

BrusselsThe animosity and distrust of Europeans towards Donald Trump's United States continue to grow. Following the US president's threats to raise tariffs on the European Union, abandon NATO, invade Greenland, and start a war in the Middle East, at least a quarter of European citizens consider the North American power as "a rival or an adversary," according to a survey by the think tank European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) published this Wednesday.

In some southern European countries historically more critical of the United States, such as Spain or France, the rate of citizens who consider the US a "rival or adversary" is even higher, approaching 40%. The report also indicates that the antipathy towards the White House in Spain is particularly high among PSOE voters and, conversely, lower among far-right European voters, especially in Poland and the United Kingdom. On the other hand, the rate is also high in Denmark, the country to which the island of Greenland belongs and, therefore, the one that has most directly suffered Trump's imperialist ambitions on the European continent recently.

In this regard, the ECFR report points out that the number of respondents who see the United States as an "ally" has decreased, now accounting for only 11% of the total. In the last survey, six months ago, this rate was 16%; and in November 2024, the percentage recorded was 22%. Thus, the study confirms the trend of Europeans distancing themselves from Washington.

In this context, Europeans are increasingly in favor of increasing military autonomy and no longer depending on the United States. In fact, the report indicates that in almost all fifteen countries where the ECFR conducted the survey, there is a majority advocating for prioritizing the purchase of European weaponry and reducing the import of war equipment from the United States. The highest rates are found in Denmark (75%), the Netherlands (72%), France (66%), or, among others, Spain (62%).

However, the report records a "majority opposition" to reducing public spending allocated to other areas, such as education or health, to carry out the major European rearmament. The percentages in this regard are particularly high in Germany (56%), where social cuts have already been announced while military spending is being rapidly increased. The rate is also high in southern European countries that adopt more pacifist positions within the European Union and NATO, such as Italy (63%) or Spain (54%).

One of the solutions that Europeans view favorably is issuing more common debt at the European Union level. Although this is a measure that member states traditionally more in favor of austerity, such as Germany or the Netherlands, flatly refuse, it has the support of southern European countries, such as France, Italy, or Spain. And, according to the ECFR survey, it also has the approval of EU citizens: 47% of respondents give it the green light, while 35% oppose it.

However, most Europeans trust that transatlantic relations are not broken and that they "will probably improve" after Trump's mandate. The percentage is around 60% also in countries like France or Spain, even among PSOE voters, among whom the rate rises to 68%. For this reason, despite the serious hour that the Atlantic Alliance is currently going through, only 29% of those surveyed by the ECFR see the creation of a parallel body to NATO on a European or European Union scale as a "very good idea" or "quite good idea".

Division over the future of Ukraine and the EU

After more than four years of war, the majority of Europeans maintain their support for Ukraine and continue to see it as an "ally" or a "necessary partner", especially in the Baltic and Nordic countries. However, the report has registered "little enthusiasm" for deploying troops from European states' armies on Ukrainian territory to fight against Vladímir Putin's regime: 46% oppose it and 39% are in favour.

Regarding Ukraine's accession to the European bloc, it continues to divide the citizens of the European Union. Although the report assures there is "majority" support for the country's entry into the community club in the westernmost countries of the continent, such as Spain or Portugal; it generates more opposition in Central or Eastern Europe, especially in Hungary and Bulgaria.