“We are extremely pleased to include - for the first time - all seven pre-accession countries in this follow-up survey to our 2022 Eurobarometer on food safety,” said Barbara Gallani, Head of EFSA’s Communications and Partnership Department.

The survey was carried out between 31 May and 25 June 2023 with over 6,600 respondents from different social and demographic groups being interviewed face-to-face at home or online in their mother tongue.

As well as factsheets in English and all local national languages, the pre-accession countries’ communications expert can sift the findings – on citizens’ food safety awareness, concerns, information sources – using an EFSA data dashboard.

Ms Gallani stated: “Together with our partners in EU Member States and in pre-accession countries our cooperation on communication has benefitted from generating insights from social research like the Eurobarometer. We can better understand the concerns and needs of audiences to help make our communications more impactful.

“This collaboration is already bearing fruit both for use in campaigns we run jointly and as input for our national partners when they need to communicate directly with their citizens.”

Communication specialists from national authorities of pre-accession countries participate as observers in EFSA’s Communications Experts Network. The Eurobarometer was conducted in the seven pre-accession countries in cooperation with the Directorate General for Communication of the European Commission.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/99 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.