BRUSSELS — Public trust in European Union institutions has declined due to their handling of the coronavirus pandemic and vaccine procurement, according to a new survey released on Wednesday.

The survey, published by the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank, suggests that the slow vaccine roll-out, and the extensive media coverage of this, has had an impact on public opinion.

"The slow and chaotic start to the vaccine roll-out at the beginning of 2021 raised big questions about the EUآ's capacity to steer its member states through the crisis. Disappointment with EU institutions has now come out of the periphery and gone mainstream," it says.

The survey, however, noted that "despite their disappointment with current EU institutions, Europeans still believe in the importance of the European project. Majorities everywhere except for France and Germany still say that COVID-19 shows the need for more European cooperation."

"Nonetheless, if the EU fails to build up its resilience to the new sorts of crises our interconnected world faces today, our data indicate that the EU itself may risk becoming another casualty of covid-19," warns the survey.

This survey is based on a public opinion poll in 12 out of 27 EU countries, France, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, and Bulgaria. It was conducted in April, with an overall sample of 17,231 respondents.

The European Council on Foreign Relations is an international think-tank with a network of offices in seven European capitals. — KUNA