BAROMETRUL Informat.ro - INSCOP Research - Edition VII, January 2026. Chapter 4: EU Responsibilities in Security Matters | 43.2% of Romanians believe that "EU member states should retain all responsibilities in security and defense to protect citizens in the event of military aggression"

BAROMETER Informat.ro - INSCOP Research, Edition VII, January 2026

Chapter VII: EU Responsibilities in Security Matters

BAROMETER Informat.ro – INSCOP Research is a monthly opinion poll conducted by INSCOP Research on behalf of the news platform Informat.ro in partnership with the think tank Strategic Thinking Group.

BAROMETER Informat.ro – INSCOP Research aims to bring to the public's attention topics of interest to stimulate national conversations about various subjects and essential public policies for the present and future of Romania, based on the opinions of Romanians in partnership with prestigious think tanks and academic institutions. It is an initiative through which we aim to contribute to the strengthening of democracy by using scientific and credible tools that bring the voice of citizens to the forefront of public debate.

Methodology: Data were collected between January 12-15, 2026. Research method: interview via questionnaire. Data were collected using the CATI method (telephone interviews), with a simple stratified sample volume of 1100 people, representative of significant socio-demographic categories (gender, age, occupation) for the non-institutionalized population of Romania, aged 18 and over. The maximum allowable error of the data is ± 3%, at a confidence level of 95%.

Graphical presentation of the data is available here: BAROMETER Informat.ro - INSCOP Research - EU Responsibilities in Security Matters

EU Responsibilities in Security Matters

41.7% of Romanians express agreement with the statement: "The European Union should take on more responsibilities from EU member states in security and defense to protect citizens in the event of military aggression." 43.2% believe that "EU member states should retain all responsibilities in security and defense to protect citizens in the event of military aggression." The proportion of non-responses is 15.1%.

They express agreement with the statement: "The European Union should take on more responsibilities from EU member states in security and defense to protect citizens in the event of military aggression" in proportions greater than the population average, especially: voters of PNL and USR and significantly young people under 30 years old.

Remus Ștefureac – Director INSCOP Research:

"Romanian opinions regarding the role of the EU in security and defense are divided, with half wanting the Union to take on more responsibilities in this area, while the other half preferring that member states retain control. Public opinion does not express a choice between two options, but rather the difficulty of constructing a coherent narrative about its own position in the hierarchy of European power. The lack of a clear majority indicates a symbolic leadership deficit. No one in Romania has managed to convincingly explain what 'delegated' security means, with NATO membership most often promoted as a way to evade national defense responsibilities, rather than as a courageous assumption of them. In this sense, the survey measures more the strategic confusion of the elite transmitted to the population than a mature, structured autonomous opinion. Thus, Romania finds itself in a state of strategic ambivalence: people feel they live in a more dangerous world, but have not yet internalized a clear model of who is, ultimately, the real guarantor of their security. Public opinion oscillates between the need for external protection and the reflex of national control, indicating not an ideological choice, but a psychological tension between fear and identity."