A new Eurobarometer opinion poll across the 25 EU countries reveals that for most citizens a healthy environment is as important to their quality of life as the state of the economy and social factors.
The main environmental concerns of Europeans are those that directly affect their lives. Five priorities stand out :
water pollution (47%),
man-made disasters such as oil spills and industrial accidents (46%),
climate change (45%),
air pollution (45%),
chemicals (35%).
However, there are some significant differences between eastern and western Europe, with air and water pollution ranked higher in the new Member States than in the EU 15.
1000 citizens across the EU were asked if they felt sufficiently informed about environmental issues, 54% responded positively but 44% felt poorly informed and the two issues with the greatest lack of information are the health impact of chemicals (41%) and GMOs (40%).
