Promotion of publication "Na putu ka Evropskoj uniji" (On the way to the EU), which deals with the research findings on standpoints of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina towards the EU, has been held yesterday in Sarajevo. Publication has been written by Srđan Puhalo, MA in cooperation with co-authors, Tija Memišević, MA and Nermina Mujagić, PhD.
Research that has been done in December, 2010, on 1500 citizens in 61 municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina shows that 43.7 % of citizens supports entering the European Union, 43.3 % supports entering if there is an interest in it for BiH, while significantly smaller number of citizens supports it if the neighboring countries are in the EU (5.7 %). There is a small fraction of citizens who do not support BiH entering the EU (6.8 %), while only 0.4 % of them are undeclared.
The question if they feel as Europeans, 54.1 % of citizens have answered with yes.
When speaking of fears of the European Union, more precisely, when speaking of what will the EU bring to our country, 61 % of citizens are afraid of the potential drain of highly educated people from country, 59.4 % of citizens think that the young people will leave the country, while 46.7% of them think that the EU entrance will bring the obligation of associating the NATO, and 43.3 % of them think that it will contribute to the abolishment of entities. The percentage of those who think that entering the EU will contribute to destroying domestic economy is 34.6 %, while 33.9% of them are afraid of the inability to produce alimentary products for our own needs. That entering the EU will bring our society to the moral degradation thinks 31.4 % of citizens, 25.1% of them think that it will contribute to losing the national culture and language, while 22.5% of them think that the EU entrance will contribute to the increase of unemployment.
Interesting fact is that the fear from entering the EU increases itself by increasing the number of older people asked, while the same fear gets reduced with higher level of educated citizens, their knowledge on the EU, as well as the higher level of household incomes.
Associations of BiH citizens on the EU are different. The biggest number is of those who look at the EU as the chance for more work positions and better social protection (36.8 %), better economic situation (35.1 %), better future for youth (34.2 %), possibility of easer travel abroad (21.9%), everlasting peace in country (14.3 %), while the smallest percentage represent those who associate the EU with the protection of human rights (10.0%).
Publisher of this publication is the Education Center Pro Educa, and the project has been supported by the European Commission.