EU Citizens Prioritize Security, While Balkans Focus on Survival – Eurobarometer Survey
Citizens of the European Union and the Western Balkans have diverging priorities and perceptions of the future, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey conducted in spring 2025.
While EU respondents remain focused on security issues stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, people in the Western Balkans are more concerned with rising food prices, crime, corruption, and the quality of healthcare.
The survey highlights significant differences across the region, particularly between Serbia and other Balkan countries, in terms of optimism, trust in the EU, skepticism toward NATO, and support for potential membership.
For the third consecutive year, over a quarter of respondents across the EU’s 27 member states view the war in Ukraine as a direct threat to the bloc’s security, with one in five prioritizing defense and security.
By contrast, daily survival remains a priority in the Western Balkans. Compared to the previous Eurobarometer conducted in autumn 2024, North Macedonia shows the sharpest rise in concern over crime, while price hikes top the list of worries in Kosovo.
Regional Divide on Employment, Optimism
Kosovo stands out with 76% of respondents expressing satisfaction with the labor market, the highest in the region. Elsewhere, around 40% of respondents view job opportunities in their countries positively — in line with the EU average.
Albania has seen the largest increase in optimism since autumn — up by 17 percentage points — while Bosnia and Herzegovina registered a 6-point rise in pessimism.
In Serbia, two-thirds of respondents rate the overall situation in the country as negative — the steepest drop in national sentiment, down 19 percentage points since last year. Meanwhile, nearly 80% of Kosovars described their country’s situation as good.
Views on the Future
Respondents in Montenegro and Kosovo are among the most optimistic regarding the future of their countries. By contrast, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the share of citizens who believe their country is heading in the wrong direction rose by 14 percentage points — second only to Serbia, where that figure increased by 11 points.
Most citizens across both the EU and the Western Balkans believe their personal lives will not change significantly over the next year. However, optimism is markedly higher in Kosovo and Albania, where a majority expect their lives to improve. In contrast, one in five respondents in Serbia and North Macedonia fear their quality of life will worsen.
In Montenegro, the number of respondents who believe things will remain the same rose by 20 percentage points compared to last autumn. In the rest of the region, results remained largely unchanged.
In Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, most respondents foresee a deterioration in their countries’ overall situations in the coming year. Kosovo and Albania again diverge from this trend, with a growing number of citizens expecting improvement.
Pessimism has risen most notably in Bosnia and Herzegovina, increasing by six percentage points over the past six months.
EU Membership Remains Attractive – Except in Serbia
EU accession continues to appeal to most Western Balkan countries — with the exception of Serbia. Enthusiasm is highest in Albania and Montenegro, where a majority believe membership would benefit their countries.
In Serbia, opinions are split evenly between those who view EU membership as positive, negative, or are neutral.
Montenegro recorded the largest increase in optimism compared to the previous survey — up by 13 percentage points.