ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

A survey published by the European Commission on the EU's social climate suggests that although EU citizens remain negative when evaluating the general situation of their country, they feel the economy is recovering and are largely satisfied and positive regarding their personal situation.

László Andor, EU commissioner for employment, social affairs and inclusion commented: "The European Union is going through particularly challenging times with hard choices and priority shifts that influence people's everyday life."

He stressed how the survey results highlighted the growing gap between countries compared to 2010, with the situation in wealthier countries improving and the countries at the bottom of the scale worsening. Andor added: "Putting growth, employment and social cohesion on an equal footing is vital for Europe's recovery because achieving real prosperity also means taking well-being into account when measuring our progress."

Europeans' perception about the general situation in their countries is, overall, much more pessimistic than that of their personal situation. But optimism that things will improve in the next 12 months has progressed since the previous survey last year.