Brussels in denial over EU crisis
Out-of-touch Eurocrats failing to tackle rising public anger across the continent, study finds
SIGNIFICANT splits have opened up between the European Union’s so-called gilded elite and the ‘simmering discontent’ of ordinary citizens, a damning report has revealed.
A withering study by a major think- tank found a ‘ visible divide’ between the opinions of Eurocrats and the bloc’s population of 508million.
The data – based on a survey of public opinion – showed a ‘continent split’, according to Londonbased international affairs organisation Chatham House.
The wider public were more likely to express concerns over a range of contentious political issues changing the face of Europe, from the huge influx of immigration and the power wielded by the EU over sovereign states.
The report is the first crucial test of the views of European citizens since Britain voted to seize back control of its borders by leaving the 28-nation bloc almost exactly a year ago.
The findings, from a survey of more than 10,000 citizens plus 1,800 ‘influencers’ from politics, the media, business and civil society, come as the UK begins Brexit negotiations with EU chiefs.
They will make grim reading among the pro-EU elite such as European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.
The UK’s move to break away has already sparked rumblings in other EU countries about whether they would also be better off out of a so-called ‘United States of Europe’.
The report said: ‘ Compared to the public, decision-makers and influencers are notably more liberal and optimistic, more committed to a pan-European identity and a common set of European values, and more likely to feel the benefits of integration.
‘Meanwhile, there is simmering discontent among the public about a range of political concerns.
‘Large sections of the public view the EU in negative terms; want to see it return some powers to member states; feel anxious over immigration and its perceived effects, as well as over the role of Islam in society; and are pessimistic about the future.’ The study found that the ‘elite’ were more than twice as likely to feel they had done well out of the EU – 71 per cent saying they had benefited compared with just 34 per cent of the public.
Some 29 per cent of Eurocrats said they felt ‘very proud’ of their European identity, while for the public the figure was 14 per cent.
And 55 per cent of ordinary citizens expected another country to leave the EU within the next dec- ade, while only 43 per cent of the elite agreed.
The research paper, entitled The Future of Europe, said that the EU and its member states had faced ‘ almost a decade of political tumult’ through the financial crash, the eurozone crisis and the influx of migrants from Africa and the Middle East.
It said that if the bloc was to ‘move beyond crisis management’ it was essential for Brussels chiefs
‘Simmering discontent’
to understand public attitudes. The EU was facing the ‘most challenging political environment since the union’s founding’ 60 years ago, said the paper.
The report named Brexit as one of the six main challenges facing the European Union.
It said: ‘The British decision will place strains on the EU budget, remove one of the voices most supportive of structural reform as well as of completion and expansion of the single market, and change the political balance between large and small member states.’
But Britain’s exit was not viewed as a significant threat to the fragmentation of the EU by the elite – who ranked it only 12th of 15 possible threats to the bloc.
Other challenges include the rise of populist anti-EU parties, an ‘illiberal drift’ to authoritarian parties in central and eastern Europe and a ‘legitimacy crisis’, with high numbers of citizens believing it was anti-democratic.
Kantar Public surveyed 10,195 people from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK in December and January. In the same countries, it spoke to 1,823 politicians, journalists, business chiefs and civil society leaders in January and February.