Climate change and global warming are issues that greatly concern Greeks and residents of other Mediterranean countries in the European Union, according to a Eurobarometer poll released on Monday.

Seventy percent declare themselves "very concerned" about climate change in Spain and Cyprus, closely followed by 68 percent of Greeks and Maltese.

The average rate in the 27-nation EU is 50 percent while the lowest levels of concern are in the northern countries, such as Estonia (20 percent), Finland and Latvia (20 percent) and the Netherlands (28 percent).

Regarding targets for reducing energy consumption, 50 percent of Greeks support "subsidies for solutions that are energy efficient", while 28 percent want "additional information" and 15 percent are in favor of "adopting stricter and more efficient measures".

Greeks are also among the Europeans most opposed to nuclear power, with 83 percent replying that the amount of electricity supplied by nuclear power in the EU should be reduced, while the average responses in the EU are 61 percent in favor of reduction.

Support for nuclear power is strongest in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria and lowest in Greece, Austria and Cyprus.

Regarding fossil fuels, 73 percent of Greeks are in favor of being able to choose between electricity and natural gas suppliers, compared with 85 percent in the EU as a whole.

Similarly to other Europeans, 68 percent of Greeks believe that negotiations through the EU are the best way of ensuring adequate supplies and good prices and that "the best way to handle energy issues" is "through measures agreed on a Community level".

In Europe, support for the same choices was 65 percent and 62 percent respectively.

Source: Xinhua