Germans embracing EU more than ever

A record number of Germans believe that being part of the European Union is a good thing for the country, a new poll showed Friday, amid creeping euroscepticism among several neighbours. Forty percent of those asked said membership of the 28-nation bloc reaped benefits, marking the highest level ever recorded in the DeutschlandTrend poll. Some 19 percent, on the other hand, saw it as leading to disadvantages, the poll for ARD television showed. In April 2010 the figures had stood at 25 and 27 percent respectively. Germany's robust economy and growing jobs market could be one reason for the rise, the pollsters said. With European Parliamentary elections set for May, 64 percent of Germans said they would like to see more common policies in Europe, compared to 31 percent who said countries should act more strongly again alone, the poll said. Meanwhile Chancellor Angela Merkel, long Germany's most popular politician, is slightly behind her finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble as the country's most popular leaders, with 75 and 76 percent respectively in the poll. Some 1,004 people were polled on January 6 and 7.