FRANCE and Germany were more pessimistic about the future of the EU than Britain was in the weeks leading up to the referendum, a poll shows.

The Eurobarometer survey was conducted between May 21 and May 31 and found 51% of French and Germans were “totally pessimistic” about the European Union’s future.

6 German and French leaders Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande may be fans of the EU but the poll shows their citizens are not Credit: Reuters

6 Many countries across the European Union are more pessimistic about the bloc than Brits are Credit: PA

When Brits were asked for the same poll, just 46% said they were “totally pessimistic” – and then just three weeks later Britain voted for Brexit.

In Greece 70% of respondents were “totally pessimistic”, in Cyprus the figure was 54% and just slightly lower, at 52%, in Hungary.

These results put the EU’s so-called “index of optimism” at its lowest level since spring 2013 and has fallen 16 percentage points since spring 2015.

6 In France 51% of people surveyed for the Eurobarometer poll said they were 'totally pessimistic' about the European Union's future Credit: Getty Images

6 In Germany 57% of people asked said immigration is the most important issue facing the European Union Credit: Getty Images

The European Commission survey found the “proportion of Europeans for whom the EU conjures up a positive image has decreased by three percentage points to 34 per cent, while the proportion who have a negative image of the EU has rise to 27 per cent since autumn 2015.”

In the past six months the EU’s positive image has lost ground in 20 member states – with the biggest drop in Romania, down by 15%, then closely followed by Croatia, down by 14%, and in Lithuania where it is down 10%.

More than a third (36%) of Britons had a totally negative view of the EU.

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Austria, Cyprus and Greece (37, 41 and 51% respectively) were the only countries to have a less positive view of the bloc.

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, told Sunday Express, “Britain has often been portrayed as the country which has been rocking the boat, but it would seem from the results of the European Commission’s own poll that we are not the only member state to have fallen out of love with the EU.

“It is clearly a damning indictment of Monsieur Juncker and his cronies in Brussels that an increasing number of people in each member state are losing faith in the failing EU project and that people in France and Germany are now more Eurosceptic than in Britain.

“Imagine what would happen in those countries if they held a referendum on their relationship with the EU?”

6 Andrew Bridgen says it is clear Britain is not the only country to fall out of love with the European Union Credit: Rex Features

6 European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is not likely to be happy with the results of the poll which show EU countries are not fans of Brussels Credit: Reuters

Immigration is the greatest concern to 20 of the 28 European member states, according to the Eurobarometer poll.

Thirteen EU countries were far more concerned about the impact of mass migration than Britain.

When asked, 73% of Estonians said it was the most important issue facing the union, followed by 71% in Denmark, 67% in the Czech Republic, Latvia and Hungary, 62% in Malta and the Netherlands, and 59% in Slovakia and Sweden.

In Bulgaria and Germany 57% of people asked said it was the most important issue, 54% in Slovenia and 53% in Lithuania – while Britain was on 51 per cent.

According to the poll, the second biggest concern for most EU countries was terrorism – and 20 member states were more nervous about terror attacks than the UK, including Ireland.