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Almost 39% of Romanians believe that the EU limits national sovereignty, but the majority remain attached to European membership (survey)

by AI | 27.Jan 2026 | Europe in brief AI

Almost 39% of Romanians believe that Romania’s membership in the European Union limits national sovereignty, while 45.9% do not agree with this statement.

Remus Ioan Stefureac, founder and general director of INSCOP Research (c) RADU TUTA / AGERPRES PHOTO

Bucharest – Almost 39% of Romanians believe that Romania’s membership in the European Union limits national sovereignty, according to the Informat.ro – INSCOP Research Barometer, 7th edition, conducted between January 12-15, 2026. At the same time, 45.9% of respondents do not agree with this statement, and 15.3% do not have a clear opinion.

The perception regarding the limitation of sovereignty is more pronounced among voters of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), among men, people over 60 years old and residents of small urban areas. At the opposite end are voters of the National Liberal Party (PNL) and Save Romania Union (USR), young people under 30, people with higher education and residents of large cities, including Bucharest.

Although a significant part of the population sees EU membership as a restriction of sovereignty, opinions are divided regarding the impact on the standard of living. Approximately 15% of Romanians believe that this limitation contributes to an increase in the standard of living, while 22% consider that it affects it negatively.

With regard to the protection of economic interests, 69.1% of respondents believe that Romania should negotiate more favorable conditions within the European Union. At the same time, 11.2% support Romania’s exit from the EU, a percentage that has increased compared to April 2025, and 11.8% believe that national interests are already protected.

Regarding quality of life, 54.9% of Romanians believe that their lives would be harder if the European Union were to be dissolved, while 22.4% believe it would be better. According to INSCOP, there are no pro-exit majorities from the EU among voters of the main parties.

The director of INSCOP Research, Remus Ştefureac, believes that support for the EU is pragmatic and conditional, based more on calculation and risk avoidance than on a deep identity-based adherence, which makes this support vulnerable to populist discourse. (27.1.2026)