Amerika blijft negatief imago houden in Europa (en)

Anti-Americanism in Europe, provoked by the Iraqi war in 2003, remains high, with the exception of Poland and the UK, a new survey has shown.

Europeans want more autonomy and independence from the US, and a majority of French, German and Spaniards think the US does not take into consideration other countries' interests, according to a poll by the international Pew Global Attitudes project.

And although the Iraqi elections have had a positive effect on the US' image throughout Europe, American popularity remains relatively low.

France, which was particularly opposed to the US war on Iraq, still has a negative view of the US, although the number of favourable opinions has increased from 37 percent last year, to 43 percent in 2005.

And 85 percent of the French believe it would be good if the EU or another country emerged as a military rival to the US.

By contrast, Americans favour a close partnership with Western Europe. Sixty-six percent feel the US and Western Europe should remain as close as in the past.

Bush, not Americans, remains the issue

For Europeans, American people are not the issue. The majority of French see the Americans as hardworking (89%), inventive (76%) and honest (57%), although violent (63%), whereas the Dutch also think they are hardworking (84%), but also greedy (67%).

In Spain, 60 percent of those questioned said Mr Bush's re-election made them feel less favourable to the US, compared to 77 percent in Germany, 74 percent in France, and 62 percent in the UK.

The Pew Global Attitudes Survey was carried in April and May this year. Nearly 17,000 people in the United States and 15 other countries: Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Spain and Turkey, were questioned.