EU citizens don’t want Article 50 extension

The majority of citizens polled in six EU countries believe that the UK should not be granted another extension to Article 50 and think that the UK leaving without a deal will damage the country.

Pollsters Kantar asked citizens in six EU countries for their thoughts on the Brexit negotiations, and the majority in each country responded negatively to an Article 50 extension.

The majority of citizens in France (57 per cent), Germany (66 per cent), the Netherlands (47 per cent), Republic of Ireland (56 per cent), Spain (57 per cent) and Poland (52 per cent), all believe that the EU should not allow any further extension to the deadline beyond 31st October.

Meanwhile, just one in four of those polled believe the UK is ready to leave the EU without a deal – and 62 per cent believe the UK is unprepared for this.

What’s more, 70 per cent of British expats in the EU said they will personally feel a negative impact from leaving the EU, and 73 per cent of them think it will still be having a detrimental effect in five years’ time.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson faired badly in the poll. In fact, his competence in the Brexit negotiations is viewed to be far below that of Theresa May’s.

He was found to be the least trusted politician in Europe, with only 6.3 per cent trusting him to help reach a satisfactory solution before the Brexit deadline, compared to 32.5 per cent for German Chancellor Angela Merkel and 20.5 per cent for French President Emmanuel Macron.

In Germany and Ireland, 74 per cent and 66 per cent respectively rate Johnson’s role in the negotiations as bad, compared to 53 per cent and 41 per cent for Theresa May.

The biggest concerns EU citizens have once the UK leaves the EU include worries about increased difficulties travelling to the UK and increases in the cost of products from the UK.

Article published 9th October 2019