Overall, 74% of Europeans believe their country’s EU membership is beneficial—the highest level ever recorded, tied with the 2025 result. Meanwhile, 68% would like the EU to play a stronger role in protecting citizens against global crises and security threats in the future, and 73% support giving the EU more powers to tackle global challenges.

Against the backdrop of global political developments, Europeans have become less optimistic about the future. Fifty-eight percent now describe themselves as pessimistic, while 38% remain optimistic. Since last autumn, the proportion of pessimists has increased by 6 percentage points. In Hungary, however, 57% of respondents are optimistic about the future of the world and 38% are pessimistic, figures that have changed little since November 2025.

Respondents identified the EU’s greatest benefit as its role in preserving peace and strengthening security (40%, up 3 percentage points since spring 2025). The second most frequently cited advantage (34%) was improved cooperation between member states.

In Hungary, 81% of respondents—7 percentage points above the EU average—believe the country has benefited from EU membership, representing a 6-percentage-point increase compared with the spring 2025 survey. Hungarians most commonly said EU membership benefits the country by creating new job opportunities (41%) and supporting economic growth (37%).

“Amid global uncertainty, Europeans increasingly see the European Union as an anchor of stability. In a turbulent world, this trust is Europe’s greatest asset. But it also comes with a clear expectation that we act decisively to provide security, prosperity and opportunities for our citizens,” said Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament.

To strengthen its global position, respondents believe the EU should focus primarily on defence and security (39%) and energy independence (35%). Support for prioritising energy independence has increased by 6 percentage points since autumn 2025. Across the EU, respondents ranked competitiveness and economic strength as the third-highest priority.

Hungarian respondents most frequently identified energy independence (36%) as the area the EU should prioritise to strengthen its position in the world. This was followed by defence and security (34%), competitiveness (32%), and food security and agriculture (32%).

Across the EU, 83% of respondents said they were satisfied with their quality of life, while 17% were dissatisfied. In Hungary, 79% expressed satisfaction with their quality of life. However, satisfaction falls sharply among those experiencing financial difficulties: only 40% of Hungarians who occasionally struggle to pay their bills and 48% of those who frequently have difficulty paying bills said they were satisfied.

According to Hungarian respondents, the key ingredients of a good quality of life are high-quality, accessible healthcare (49%), a good financial situation (46%), and physical and mental health (40%).

Half of all respondents (50%) do not expect their standard of living to change in the coming years, while 29% fear it will worsen. Only 18% expect it to improve.

Concerns about declining living standards are strongest in France (44%), followed by Portugal (39%), Austria (38%), and Germany (38%).

The European Parliament’s Spring 2026 Eurobarometer survey was conducted by the research agency Verian between 9 April and 4 May 2026 in all 27 EU member states, based on 26,421 face-to-face interviews. The overall EU results were weighted according to the population of each member state.

(MTI)

The data, based on the eVisitor and eCrew systems as well as accommodation and nautical tourism records, show a 5% increase in visitor numbers and a 7% rise in overnight stays compared to the same period in 2025. Coastal destinations recorded 12.2 million overnight stays, up 8% year-on-year, while continental destinations saw a 3% increase.

Tourism and Sports Minister TonÄŤi Glavina said the growth reflects the success of government measures aimed at strengthening the pre- and post-season and promoting year-round tourism. He added that June figures so far also indicate positive trends.

At the same time, Glavina cautioned that the peak tourism months of July and August are still ahead. Based on current market research and developments in Croatia’s key source markets, demand appears slightly more restrained than in previous years. He stressed the importance of maintaining responsible and competitive pricing policies.

The minister also noted that Croatia has adjusted its tourism marketing campaigns in response to the crisis in the Middle East. The revised campaigns emphasize Croatia’s competitive advantages, including its proximity to major European markets, its safety, and its good value for money.

Istria recorded the highest number of overnight stays during the first five months of the year, with 4.1 million, followed by Split-Dalmatia County with 2.2 million and the Kvarner region with 2.1 million. The most popular destinations among visitors were Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Rovinj, Split, PoreÄŤ, and Zadar.

Among foreign visitors, Germans generated the highest number of overnight stays at 2.7 million. They were followed by domestic tourists with 2.5 million overnight stays, Slovenians with 1.3 million, Austrians with 1.1 million, Britons with more than 670,000, and Americans with over 540,000.

Hotels, which account for 15% of Croatia’s accommodation capacity, generated 43% of all overnight stays. Campsites, representing 20% of capacity, accounted for 16% of overnight stays, while private accommodation, which makes up 52% of capacity, generated 23%.

HTZ Director Kristjan Staničić said the positive results confirm Croatia’s strong position on the international tourism market. Despite challenges facing the global travel industry, interest in Croatia remains stable. Recent European studies also indicate continued strong demand for Mediterranean destinations, with safety, quality, and value for money remaining key factors for travelers.

(MTI)

Among the key announcements was the publication of the ECB’s Annual Report 2025, outlining the institution’s activities and monetary policy actions over the past year. The Governing Council also confirmed changes to the remuneration of excess reserves held by banks at national central banks, simplifying the framework by aligning all excess reserve remuneration with the deposit facility rate from June 2026 onward.

The ECB continued to push forward its digital finance agenda. It approved agreements with standard-setting bodies including CPACE, nexo and Berlin Group for digital euro online payment standards, while also adopting rules governing the upcoming digital euro pilot project, scheduled to begin in the second half of 2027. The central bank further strengthened its tokenised finance strategy through the Appia Steering Group, which will oversee the development of tokenised wholesale central bank money projects such as Pontes and Appia.

In payments policy, the Eurosystem unveiled a new comprehensive payments strategy aimed at creating a more innovative and competitive European payments market while preserving the role of central bank money in an increasingly digital economy.

On financial stability, the ECB reviewed risks tied to non-bank financial intermediation and approved a new report proposing macroprudential reforms focused particularly on the asset management sector. It also released updated assessments of financial integration within the euro area and responded to a European Commission consultation on boosting the competitiveness of the EU banking sector.

In banking supervision, the ECB imposed a €6.2 million administrative penalty on BofA Securities Europe SA for incorrectly reporting market risk data. The central bank also announced reforms to streamline the approval process for banks’ internal credit risk models beginning in October 2026.

Additional decisions covered updates to securities holdings statistics, the continuation of the Integrated Reporting Framework project, legal opinions on EU financial legislation and governance appointments within the Eurosystem.

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Cipollone warned that without central bank-backed digital money, private settlement assets such as stablecoins could dominate tokenised markets, increasing risks to banking systems, financial stability and monetary sovereignty. He noted that widespread use of foreign currency stablecoins could weaken central banks’ control over interest rates and money supply.

The ECB plans to support the development of tokenised finance through projects such as Pontes, which will provide tokenised central bank money settlement services from September, and Appia, a roadmap aimed at creating interoperable standards for digital financial markets.

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The ECB highlighted that the war in the Middle East has pushed energy prices higher, contributing to increased inflation and weaker economic sentiment. It warned that the longer the conflict and elevated energy prices persist, the greater the potential impact on inflation and economic activity, including secondary effects on the wider economy.

Despite this uncertainty, the euro area economy is described as resilient, and inflation expectations over the longer term remain anchored near the 2% target. However, short-term inflation expectations have risen significantly.

The Governing Council emphasised a data-dependent, meeting-by-meeting approach, stating it is not pre-committing to any specific interest rate path. Future decisions will depend on inflation outlooks, underlying inflation dynamics, financial and economic data, and the effectiveness of monetary policy transmission.

Key ECB interest rates remain unchanged:

• Deposit facility: 2.00%
• Main refinancing operations: 2.15%
• Marginal lending facility: 2.40%

Regarding asset purchases, the APP and PEPP portfolios continue to decline gradually as the ECB no longer reinvests maturing securities.

Finally, the ECB stated it remains ready to adjust all instruments if necessary to maintain price stability and ensure smooth transmission of monetary policy across the euro area. The Transmission Protection Instrument remains available to counter unjustified market disruptions.

The ECB President will present further details at a press conference at 14:45 CET.

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Consumers now expect higher inflation both in the short and medium term, with one-year-ahead expectations jumping to 4.0% and three-year expectations to 3.0%. At the same time, uncertainty about inflation increased.

Income growth expectations remained unchanged, but households anticipate higher spending in the coming year, reflecting rising prices and consumption pressures. However, economic sentiment worsened: expectations for economic growth turned more negative, and the expected unemployment rate increased, signaling concerns about the labour market.

In the housing market, consumers expect slightly stronger price growth and higher mortgage interest rates over the next 12 months. Access to credit is also perceived to be tightening, with more households reporting and expecting stricter borrowing conditions.

Overall, the survey points to rising inflation concerns, weakening economic confidence, and tighter financial conditions among euro area households.

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At the same time, demand for loans weakened. Companies reduced borrowing mainly due to lower investment activity, while households showed less interest in credit as consumer confidence declined and spending—especially on durable goods—fell. Demand for consumer loans dropped significantly, while housing loan demand stagnated.

Banks also reported a rise in rejected loan applications and tighter lending conditions, particularly for businesses and consumer credit. Access to funding through financial markets deteriorated, and institutions expect further tightening ahead.

Nearly half of euro area banks are increasingly using securitisation to support lending, manage risks, and improve liquidity, often relying on non-bank investors such as funds and insurance companies.

Overall, the survey signals a more cautious banking environment, with stricter lending, weaker demand, and growing reliance on alternative financing tools.

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The reports stress that expanding circular businesses involves reaching new markets, transforming business systems, and encouraging cultural shifts among consumers. At the same time, policymakers must promote innovation, fair competition, and better financing conditions. The agency also underlines that a just transition is essential: while circular economy jobs have increased to 4.4 million in the EU, challenges remain around job quality, skills, and equal access. Overall, integrating fairness and inclusion into circular economy policies is key to achieving environmental, economic, and social goals.

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