Brussels, June 23, 2025 (Lusa) - An opinion poll conducted in 12 European countries found Portuguese respondents the most concerned about the use of nuclear weapons, a possible third world war and a European war beyond Ukraine.
“Most Europeans are waking up to the reality that they live in a very different world. While recognition of NATO’s resilience limits concerns about a Russian attack on Alliance territory to certain border states such as Poland, Estonia and Romania, as well as Portugal, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) notes that the growing awareness of the stakes in a potential nuclear conflict most clearly captures the new European anxiety,” in a study published on Monday.
One day before the start of the two-day summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), marked by strong geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and Ukraine and the need to increase investment in defence, the ECFR has released an opinion poll covering 12 countries (Portugal, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) and 16,440 respondents over the age of 18.
Surveyors asked Portuguese respondents about potential events, and the respondents indicated greater concern about the use of nuclear weapons (85%, the highest percentage among the countries surveyed), a third world war (82%), and a larger war on European soil beyond Ukraine (77%).
Conversely, Portuguese respondents showed more confidence in the face of a possible Russian invasion of the country (54%) and the break-up of the European Union (EU) or NATO (65% and 66%, respectively).
Portuguese respondents (1,010, surveyed between 16 and 28 May) also said they were more concerned that the state invests too much in defence and gives insufficient attention to other policies than that it invests too little, and this jeopardises the country’s security.
As for US President Donald Trump, the majority of those questioned in Portugal (54%) believe that he has negatively affected relations between Europe and the United States, but that this relationship will improve when he leaves office.
The ECFR selected 12 countries for this opinion poll based on criteria such as geographical balance and size.
NATO allies are meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday at a summit in the Dutch city of The Hague, with an urgent need to increase defence spending, while hoping for peace and preparing for every possible contingency.
This meeting of NATO leaders and ministers will focus on discussing world events and their impact on Euro-Atlantic security, as allies prepare for war while also anticipating peaceful resolutions.
People discuss a target of 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) for traditional military spending (armed forces, equipment and training) and an additional 1.5% of GDP for dual-use civilian and military infrastructure (such as cybersecurity, preparedness and strategic resilience), an increase on the current target of 2%.
In Portugal, the government announced that it would bring forward the target of 2% of GDP for defence to 2025.
Last Wednesday, Mark Rutte welcomed this Portuguese announcement, saying that this is “great news”, which came even before the start of the summit.
In 2024, Portugal invested approximately €4.48 billion in defence, which accounted for around 1.58% of its GDP. This investment placed the country among NATO allies that allocate less than 2% of their GDP to defence—a group that includes Portugal—according to estimates by the Government and the organisation.
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence, Paulo Rangel and Nuno Melo, will represent Portugal at the Hague summit.
ANE/ADB // ADB.
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