Most Europeans support increased defence spending

A poll by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) has found that a majority of Europeans support increased national defence spending and the procurement of European-made weapons as part of strengthened defence readiness.

As reported by Euractiv, the Brussels-based think tank's study, published on 10 June, showed that a majority of Europeans support increased defence spending. The exception was Italy, where more respondents opposed an increase in the defence budget.

The poll, conducted in May 2026, covered over 18,000 respondents from Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

A majority of respondents, with the exception of Italians, also expressed support for purchasing more weapons from European countries rather than from outside the continent.

Respondents were also asked whether they support their country "buying more weapons from the US". Poland, which has the highest military expenditure in the EU and NATO as a percentage of GDP, was the only country where a majority responded positively.

A majority of respondents in all surveyed countries do not expect the US to defend them in the event of an attack. However, a majority in all countries except Bulgaria believe that at least some European countries would come to their aid.

At the same time, Europeans surveyed expressed greater trust in NATO than in the idea of establishing a new defence forum exclusively within the EU framework. Only 29% of total respondents considered it "a very good idea" or "rather good idea". In none of the 15 surveyed countries did a majority support the idea.

In early June, the US confirmed its intention to reduce its contribution to NATO's force model.

The US has expressed a desire to create "NATO 3.0" that would not be "based on dependence" of Europe on America.

EU Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius has advocated for the creation of a European defence union that would allow EU countries to take responsibility for their own defence.