CYPRIOTS are slightly more positive about adopting the euro than they were six months ago, but a majority is still opposed, the latest EU survey says.
This time last year, 59 per cent of Cypriots were against eurozone entry.
This has dropped to 53 per cent, but with only six months to go a staggering 83 per cent of Cypriots are still concerned about being ripped off during the changeover.
And even though opposition has dropped to 53 per cent, 49 per cent are actually unhappy about adopting the single currency in January 2008.
“The majority is unhappy in four of the new member states,” said the report, naming Cyprus and Malta among them.
“We remind that both Malta and Cyprus are set to join the euro area in 2008. In both countries we see a positive trend since the last measurement that is expected to continue as the result of the campaign preceding the changeover,” said the report.
According to the figures, 22 per cent of Cypriots want the euro as soon as possible, while 39 per cent want it introduced as late as possible, even though this figure is slightly down on last year.
“Respondents in Cyprus are still the most afraid of being cheated during the changeover, followed by citizens of Malta and Lithuania,” said the survey.
“The Cypriots and Maltese were the most likely to feel this way in September 2006 as well, although we have seen a definite decrease in Malta.” Only 15 per cent of Cypriots feel they won’t be cheated.
Asked if they felt the euro would personally cause them a lot of inconvenience, 58 per cent of Cypriots said it wouldn’t, but 40 per cent believe it will.
Nearly the same number of Cypriots think the country will lose control over its economic policy, again slightly down from last year.
Despite the government’s euro campaign, the EU barometer found that in the two countries set to join the eurozone, “there is an immediate demand for information among the majority of those who are not currently well informed about the euro”. This figure in Cyprus stands at 60 per cent and in Malta 54 per cent.
The survey said that a negative outlook towards the euro was almost proportional to the numbers that did not feel well informed and the level of perceived preparedness.
For instance, only 38 per cent in Cyprus were aware that joining the eurozone was not a choice, although last September only 32 per cent realised this.
Also shocking was the fact that people in Cyprus and Malta were the least aware of all new member states that euro banknotes were the same in all countries.
“The two countries where more respondents gave incorrect answers than correct ones were Malta with 46 per cent and Cyprus with 43 per cent,” the barometer said. “Interestingly, these two countries have applied to join the EMU in 2008.”
Nearly 55 per cent of Cypriots and over 60 per cent of Maltese also didn’t know that euro coin designs were not uniform, but these figures were actually 15 per cent down on last year when 70 per cent of Cypriots didn’t know the answer.
Yet according to the poll Cypriots were most likely among new member states to have used the euro when they went abroad. Cypriots are also top of the list in expecting to be informed about the euro by their banks rather than television, which comes in second, with schools third.
