A Polish Army Leopard 2PL tank drives in front of fire blast during Polish Army training demonstration in Nowa Deba, Poland, on Sept. 7, 2026.Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images

European citizens overwhelmingly back creation of an EU army, survey finds – POLITICO

by · POLITICO

BRUSSELS — Some 71% of Europeans want the EU to have its own army, according to new polling results seen by POLITICO that reveal growing unease about Washington’s reliability and deep divisions over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The 2026 Trends report by security think tank GLOBSEC found that support for the European Union to have its own army was strong across the member countries surveyed, reaching 82% in Romania followed by Lithuania at 78% and France at 75%.

Even in countries traditionally wary of European defense integration, majorities backed the idea with some 70% of respondents in Poland and Bulgaria in support of an EU army, alongside 69% in Germany.