|
       
|
|
Mind the Gap - reasons behind Euroscepticism by Marko Kananen 2009-02-25 09:54:41 |
Print - Comment - Send to a Friend - More from this Author |
  
 |
One characteristic feature of the past fifty years of European integration has been the gap between pro-European political establishment and a more sceptical public opinion. Due to this gap the EU has – more than once – find itself in a situation where the governments have negotiated a substantial leap forward in the integration process, while a large part of the European population have been unprepared to follow them along this path.
This scepticism is painfully visible also in European Parliament elections, where the voter turnout has been on a steady downward track. In 1979 it was still 63 percent of the electorate who cast a ballot, but in the latest elections of June 2004 the voting rate had already sunk into 45 percent. Characteristic for this ‘Euro-gap’ is that in many member states the voter turnout in European elections is as much as 40 percent lower than in the national ones.
But where does this Euroscepticism come from? When going through Eurobarometers and post-referendum surveys it is noticeable how the EU is often criticised from a national point of view. For example, in the French, Dutch and Irish post-referendum surveys the rejection of the Constitution was commonly motivated by interests that were merely national. It was considered to have “negative effects on country’s employment and economic situation” and lead to “loss of national sovereignty” and “weakening of traditional values.” The general tone behind the rejection was that country’s “own problems should be settled first”.
Hence, among the ‘no’ voters the Constitution was judged by its effect on a nation state and not on the European Union. This is a significant difference to those with a more positive attitude towards the EU. The people voting in favour of the Constitution justified their decision through the positive impact it has for the Union. It “makes the EU more effective”, it is “important for the European construction”, and “essential for the smooth running of the European institutions”.
From the Eurosceptical perspective the EU does not appear as a common enterprise with shared interests and values; rather, it is a battlefield of competing national interests all trying to make the best out of it. One of the reasons why national interests have become so dominant can be traced back to the way roles are divided between the EU and nation states. The European Union has political and economic power, but it has hardly any powers in those areas (culture, education, social sharing) that are crucial for creation of loyalty and solidarity. That is why the only possibility for the EU to strengthen its position in the eyes of Europeans seems to be to emphasise the political interests and benefits.
This is not a problem as such; it is, indeed, possible that interests and benefits can create enough commitment to keep the integration process rolling. Perhaps Europeans do not feel personally connected to the EU, but they can still learn to appreciate its policies. This phenomenon has, in fact, emerged due to the ongoing global financial crisis. The EU is generally perceived to have better chances to cope with the situation than a nation state, and that is why in several member states the overall attitude towards the EU has changed into a more positive.
However, when interests play such a crucial role, it is apparent that Europeans will keep a record of plusses and minuses of the integration process. For this end, it would be important that there is a general awareness of the differing interests inside the EU and the challenges of bringing them constructively together. The official EU-language does not, unfortunately, support this awareness. Instead of differing interests, the EU generally talks about our interests – the common interests of Europeans.
The trap is that our interests automatically imply my interests: if something is good for us, then it is also good for me. That is why the EU is so commonly assessed from a personal or a national point of view. When the EU promotes European interests, we all expect to benefit from it. This image of ‘win-win integration’ also explains why the national outbursts of criticism are so common: by delivering ‘bad news’ or causing disadvantages to a certain member state the EU fails its promise – instead of our interests it is taking care of their interests.
The European Union thus lacks a strategy for dealing with a situation in which benefits are distributed unevenly or when interests inside the EU stand in conflict. Because of the ‘win-win integration’ emphasizing our common interests, the EU can not ask Europeans to sacrifice their private interests for a fellow European or for a common cause. This is a big shortage considering that although the European interests on a superficial level are similar (peace, prosperity and stability), the realization of these interests is bound to treat Europeans from time to time unevenly, and that is why the willingness for sacrifices and compromises would be extremely important for EU’s functioning.
Through the image of win-win integration the European Union creates expectations that it can not live up. In order to make these expectations more realistic it would be necessary to add responsibilities, compromises and sacrifices more clearly to the common European vocabulary. It has to be emphasised that the European Union can not be a place for national cost-benefit calculations and that in the Union of 27 states compromises can not be avoided. Although a discourse change alone can not solve the problem of Euroscepticism and the dominance of national interests, it can help to adjust the expectations and through that make the ‘bad news’ more bearable and compromises conceivable.
In general, political interests have been taken to be the only possibility to claim unity among Europeans, and that is why to talk about colliding interests and need for sacrifices has been perceived as a risk diluting its appeal. But this is a risk which the EU will have to take. It is an often repeated fact that European unity grows out of diversity. However, it should be borne in mind that unity can grow out of diversity only when there is respect for difference and willingness for mutual compromises. That is why the European Union has to become a place where not only different cultures, but also different interests have a right to exist and to prosper.
Euroscepticism Europe EU |
|
Print - Comment - Send to a Friend - More from this Author |
|
|
|