71% of Europeans support creation of EU army: Survey
BRATISLAVA — A majority of Europeans support establishing a European Union army, with 71% backing the proposal amid growing concerns over the reliability of US security commitments, according to a new survey by security think tank GLOBSEC.
The 2026 GLOBSEC Trends report found widespread support for deeper European defense integration, with backing for an EU army reaching 82% in Romania, 78% in Lithuania and 75% in France.
Support stood at around 70% in Poland and Bulgaria, while 69% of respondents in Germany favored the proposal.
The survey covered 14 countries across the transatlantic region, including 11 EU member states, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The findings suggest that Europeans increasingly favor strengthening the continent's defense capabilities while maintaining NATO as a central pillar of regional security.
According to the report, 78% of respondents in EU countries supported developing the bloc's own defense capabilities alongside NATO, while 77% of respondents in NATO member countries said they would vote to remain in the alliance.
Support for greater military preparedness also extended to compulsory military service.
Among respondents in countries without conscription, 64% favored its reintroduction, with the strongest backing recorded in the Czech Republic, France, Germany and Slovakia.
More than 80% of respondents believed European countries should assume greater responsibility for their security if the United States reduced its involvement.
Meanwhile, 60% supported increased defense spending, while a similar proportion said they would personally defend their country in the event of an attack.
Despite the growing appetite for military independence, confidence in Europe's ability to defend itself remained limited.
Only half of respondents believed Europe could guarantee its security without strong US support, while just one-third considered their own country adequately prepared for a major crisis or war.
The report also highlighted increasing tensions in European perceptions of Washington's security role.
More than one-third of European respondents viewed the United States as a potential security threat to their country, with the figure exceeding 50% in Germany.
Nevertheless, more than three-quarters of respondents continued to regard the US role in European security as important.
Support for maintaining an American military presence in Europe exceeded opposition in every surveyed country except Bulgaria.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, six in 10 respondents said Ukraine's security was important to their own country's security, while a similar proportion supported continued assistance to Kyiv.
Russia remained the leading external security threat identified by respondents, with more than two-thirds considering Moscow a threat.
The report also identified information manipulation as one of the most serious threats associated with Russia.
However, more than one-third of respondents continued to accept the Kremlin's narrative that Western countries had provoked Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Beyond security concerns, the survey revealed widespread dissatisfaction with democratic governance across the countries surveyed.
Only 8% of respondents believed their country's democracy was fully functioning, highlighting broader concerns about political institutions and democratic performance.
