Most Germans Reject Ceding Sovereignty to EU, Stern Poll Shows

Almost six out of ten Germans reject ceding budgetary sovereignty to European Union institutions and almost three quarters don’t want the EU to transform into a U.S.-style United States of Europe, Stern magazine said, citing a poll it commissioned.

A directly elected EU president was rejected by 63 percent of Germans while 59 percent said the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, should keep its budgetary rights and 74 percent said the EU shouldn’t become a federal state, Stern said in an e-mailed statement.

Seventy-three percent of Germans reject joint euro-region government bond sales and 69 percent said more transfers of power to European institutions require prior referendums, Stern said.

Research company Forsa surveyed 1,004 people on June 27-28, Stern said. The poll had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rainer Buergin in Berlin at rbuergin1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Hertling at jhertling@bloomberg.net