French people still think that the worst of the crisis is still to come but they have a better image of the EU than last year and appear ready for reforms, according to a new eurobarometer survey, reports EUobserver.
According to the poll, 41 percent of French people view the EU positively, up from 31 a year ago and the highest since 2008.
But almost a quarter (23%) view the EU negatively while 35 percent have no opinion.
Respondents were almost evenly split in their views about the future of the bloc, with 50 percent feeling optimistic about the EU and 47 feeling pessimistic.
That makes France the fifth most pessimistic country concerning the future of the EU, with Greece being the most pessimistic, followed by Cyprus, Italy and the UK. The EU average is 56 percent.
But while French people are not overly positive about the EU, they are outright down about their own economic future.
Sixty-three percent think that “the worst of the crisis is to come”, three percent more than last spring but three percent less than a year ago.