According to Eurobarometer, 96% of Portuguese see the current economic situation as negative and 57% believe it will deteriorate further next year.
The Autumn Barometer from the EC was published on Friday and shows a slight increase in the confidence of European citizens in the future of the union with only the southern countries remaining pessimistic.
Although 57% of Portuguese believe that in 2014 the national economic situation will deteriorate (the EU average is 30%), 11% believe that performance in the Portuguese economy may improve.
The countries that were even more downhearted than the Portuguese were, unsurprisingly, Greece with 63%, and Cyprus with 72%.
The 96% of Portuguese who see the situation as negative is the same percentage as in Spain and Croatia, surpassed only by Cyprus with 97% and Greece with 98% against an EU average of 68%.
Also noteworthy, but hardly surprising, was that Ireland, having recently left its Troika programme, appears more optimistic on various indicators. While in Portugal 67% of respondents think the worst unemployment is yet to come, only 35% of the Irish have the same answer.
Comments
Surely the differences now lie in the Irish structural reforms driving entrepreneurism, incentives to invest ably managed and targeted.... and not having the military baggage.
No need for expensive military hardware. The thousands of boots, the tanks, oh ... did I mention the subs?
Simple innit ?? Begorah ...