Irish support for EU membership falls to lowest level in a decade
Support for Ireland remaining a member of the European Union remains high but has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade, according to a survey.
Some 82 per cent of people questioned as part of an annual poll, commissioned by civil society organisation European Movement Ireland, said the Republic should remain in the EU.
This is the lowest level of support recorded since the polling series began in 2013. Fewer than half of the respondents said they felt the EU was heading in the right direction.
The survey, conducted by Amárach Research and published on Thursday, involved a representative sample of 1,200 people. It was carried out via email between March 26th and 28th.
READ MORE
Pro-EU sentiment in Ireland hit a high point in 2019 at the height of the post-Brexit negotiations, when 93 per cent of people backed continued membership. This was largely attributed to how the European political system rowed in behind the State while the terms of the UK's exit from the union were thrashed out.
There has been a small but steady decline in support since, but the Irish public still consistently ranks among the most supportive of EU membership. A separate EU-wide survey carried out late last year found Irish people were the most optimistic about the future of the 27-state union.
Immigration control was cited in the latest poll as the single biggest reason why people felt the EU was going in the wrong direction.
Anti-immigration campaigners frequently target recent EU asylum policy reforms in online criticism. The Migration and Asylum Pact, due to come into effect next year, will mean faster decisions on asylum applications, but has been opposed by far-right parties as not going far enough on the issue.
Half of those surveyed want Ireland to be more involved in defence co-operation at EU level, while about one-third feel the opposite.
Some 56 per cent of respondents said they were in favour of more countries joining the union.
Noelle O Connell, head of European Movement Ireland, said the level of support for the EU in this State was still 'incredibly high'.
The research showed Irish people valued being part of the large economic bloc, particularly given the uncertainty caused by recent moves regarding tariffs by US president Donald Trump, she said.
Ms O Connell said Ireland needed to be mindful of repaying the solidarity it received during the Brexit crisis.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
40 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Locals block OPW vehicles at Castletown House as dispute over access continues
Locals stopped essential service vehicles entering Castletown House estate in Celbridge, Co Kildare on Monday as the long-running dispute over public access to the site shows no sign of abating. On Monday morning Office of Public Works (OPW) staff attempted to use motorised buggies to accompany the vehicles from the Celbridge gate entrance along Lime Avenue, a path leading to the house used by locals and protesters, who claim it is not suitable for vehicles. Locals from the Save Castletown Gate Protectors (SCGP) group said the use of the route by service vehicles would make it unsafe for vulnerable pedestrians and people who use wheelchairs. Gardaí were also present at the scene of Monday's stand-off. READ MORE The dispute over access to Castletown House has been ongoing for 20 months. The house was acquired by the State in the 1990s and sits on a large estate that is popular with local walkers. The house, one of the most architecturally significant Palladian-style country homes in Ireland, was closed in 2023 in a dispute over a right of access to its lands. On the estate a 235-acre parcel of land that stretches from the M4 entrance to the house, was bought by a developer Kilross Properties in April 2023. The gate to Castletown House at Celbridge, Co Kildare. Photograph: Stephen Farrell The M4 entrance and nearby car park were closed to the public and to the OPW. OPW staff returned to Castletown House on April 10th for the first time in two years, with a goal of opening the house to the public at the end of May. Local representatives joined protesters at Monday's peaceful stand-off. They included Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly and Fianna Fáil TD Naoise Ó Cearúil, and councillors Rupert Heather (Lab), Nuala Killeen and Claire O'Rourke (both Social Democrats). [ Vandals cause €500,000 worth of damage to OPW site used to access Castletown House Opens in new window ] The OPW want four to five essential services vehicles to drive daily along Lime Avenue accompanied by a buggy. They announced this plan on social media on Friday. The State's property management agency said the use of the avenue is safe, citing a health and safety report carried out in 2024. Protesters from the SCGP group have proposed that any essential service vehicles are accompanied on foot by an OPW staff member. The OPW said this would be too costly, at €10,000 a year – a figure disputed by protesters. Locals want the entrance at the M4 Dublin to Galway motorway and nearby car park reopened to the public, which would also allow for ease of access for essential services vehicles. [ Challenge brought over alleged unauthorised erection of gates blocking access to Castletown House Opens in new window ] 'Lime Avenue is not the solution,' said Miriam Flynn, a member of the SCGP group. 'The solution required is for the Minister to do what's necessary for there to be access via the M4 entrance.' The OPW said it was developing an application for planning permission, which will be made this summer, for a visitor car park in the Kildare Innovation Centre. Ms Flynn criticised the delay in applying for this planning permission. Local woman Monica Joy, a member of the SCGP group, expressed frustration that local residents do not have proper access to the house and its grounds. 'If you take a drive around Celbridge, there are no amenities. There is no investment for communities even though huge numbers of houses have been built,' she said.
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Pensions of 13,000 civil servants being checked for errors after ‘serious issues' found
A pool of 13,000 retired civil servants as well as current and former Government ministers are to have their pension deductions checked amid 'serious issues' at the State office that handles pension payments. Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers revealed errors at the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) and said that any money owed to the State will be recouped. The affected former civil servants are all people who were in work-share arrangements and not all may be affected. Meanwhile, it is believed that most current Government Ministers will owe money to the State due to errors in their pension deductions, though some may also be due some money back. READ MORE The pension deductions of ministers in previous Governments are also impacted by the issue. People whose pension deductions contained errors are to be contacted while Mr Chambers also announced a number of reviews into the situation. This is a breaking story and will be updated shortly.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Landlords could face stiffer fines for breaking rent rules
The Government is considering higher fines for landlords who breach rental rules in the wake of cabinet approving plans to overhaul the sector. Government on Tuesday agreed to extend Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) across the country while also allowing higher rent increases in new-build apartments. Minister for Housing James Browne said the level of fines was being looked at to see 'how much can we increase those fines'. However, he was not yet able to say what level the higher fines might come in at. There was a level after which it would be more appropriate for the courts to impose a fine, he said, rather than the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) which is to be responsible for policing the new regime. READ MORE Briefing reporters after Cabinet on Tuesday, Mr Browne was unable to offer a specific timeline on when he believed rents would come down, saying it would only happen after increased supply and investment which he believed would follow from the reforms agreed. He would only say he expected rents to fall over time. 'What that particular length of time is, I wouldn't be able to predict,' he said. The new rules will allow rents in new build apartments to be raised above the current limit of 2 per cent after six years, while also ending 'no fault evictions' for landlords with four or more tenancies. Under the new rules, the circumstances where a smaller landlord can evict someone in order to move in a family member will be tightened. A restriction will be introduced on an eviction being allowed only when an immediate family member needs the accommodation, or when the landlord is facing bankruptcy, insolvency or 'some other particular hardship'. If a landlord exercises their right to break a tenancy, they will not be allowed to reset the rent, Mr Browne said - meaning there would not be an economic incentive to engineer an eviction. All landlords will be able to sell a property with the tenant remaining in situ at any time. Landlords will not be allowed to reset rents during tenancies created before the end of next February. The Minister also said there would be further funding and support for the RTB which will be tasked with enforcing the rules. 'The Government wishes to put the sector on notice today that from the 1st of March 2026, stronger tenant protections will apply,' he said. From next March larger landlords - classified as those having four or more tenancies – will not be able to put a 'no fault' eviction in place. Mr Browne said tenancies will be for an unlimited time, with a 'minimum duration' of six years, which he said would be a 'real leap forward' for tenant protections. Under the reforms, only new build apartments will be able to increase rents by more than 2 per cent currently allowed under the Rent Pressure Zone legislation. This will be limited to increases equivalent to the rate of inflation at the time. That will only apply to apartments being commenced from today, so it will be several years before these units come to the market. 'The changes I'm making today will have a significant impact for our rental sector, making much needed investment more attractive while strengthening the protections and providing greater certainty for renters,' he said. He said there was a 'fine balance' to be struck as the State aims to attract investment in the apartment building sector while ensuring fair treatment for tenants. Mr Browne is promising a suite of further measures, including planning extensions and planning exemptions in the coming weeks. 'This is not being presented as a silver bullet. This is to strike a balance, to bring clarity and to bring certainty,' he said. 'Without all of these things we cannot ramp up the supply needed, and I'm determined and ambitious to get this right.'
