Maltese say they approve increase in EU humanitarian aid to developing countries

More than half the Maltese want the EU to spend more on humanitarian aid than it currently does… and just 3% say they want it to donate less.

Respondents to a Eurobarometer survey were told that the EU currently spends €1.5 billion in aid which equals between €3-€4 per taxpayer in the EU.

While the majority of all EU respondents replied that the EU should retain its current spending (48%), respondents in seven member states – including Malta – replied that it should give more.

Malta was also one of six EU countries were more than half of respondents want the EU to spend more in humanitarian aid. Respondents in Malta were the fourth most likely in Europe to demand more spending on aid.

The Maltese were also among the least likely to call for a reduction in humanitarian aid.  While 7% of all EU citizens want less spending on humanitarian aid, only 3% of Maltese respondents are of this opinion.

The stingiest Europeans were the Finns, 18% of whom want the EU to reduce its spending on aid.  In contrast, the most likely to favour increased spending on aid were the Romanians (60%) followed by the Croatians (58%), the Cypriots (58%) and the Maltese (54%).

Moreover nearly two-thirds of Czechs, the Estonians and the Latvians want the EU to retain humanitarian aid at its current levels.

In Malta women were more likely to agree with increased spending on humanitarian aid. While 52% of men agreed with increased spending, the percentage increases to 55% among women.  51% of Maltese people facing difficulties in paying bills also supported increased spending on humanitarian aid.

When asked how they feel when told that the EU is among the main donors of humanitarian aid, 66% of Maltese replied that they feel satisfaction while 14% said that they feel a sense of pride.