The European Union was hit with more bad news today, with a new poll showing that overall public support of the EU project dropped by 4% since a previous survey.
Austria – which takes over the EU presidency in January – leads the pack of those most against EU membership.
The poll found that 50% of those questioned thought that membership of their country in the 25-nation bloc was “a good thing”.
A previous survey conducted in the spring had EU support at 54%. Support was the lowest in Austria, with just 25% thinking their nation’s membership of the union was positive.
Britain was second lowest with only 28% supporting EU membership. The highest support was found in tiny Luxembourg, with 82% support of the EU.
The survey comes in a year of setbacks for the EU, after French and Dutch voters rejected the EU constitution in May and June.
EU leaders did, however, manage to get a deal on new slimmed-down EU spending plans at a summit last weekend.