Approval of EU membership below 50 percent in Eurobarometer poll for first time

Czech citizens' approval of European Union membership fell in the first half of this year, suggests a new national survey prepared for Eurobarometer. In the second half of 2006, 51 percent of respondents in the twice-annual poll said EU membership was a good thing; however, that figure fell to 46 percent this year - the first time that rating has dropped below the 50 percent mark in a Eurobarometer poll. As for what worries Czechs, the health service was regarded as the biggest problem - almost 40 percent said it was a concern, twice as many as the EU average.