For almost a decade the European Union is in crisis. His image has never been in such a deplorable state, and the distrust of citizens is so great as during this period. However, the results of recent polls indicate a rapid increase in EU support from the population, writes Die Welt.
The debt crisis in Greece, which hit the eurozone in 2009, smoothly flowed into a migration crisis, recalls the correspondent Klaus Geiger. "All this has led to billions of costs, political disagreements and an incredible loss of confidence in the EU, the apotheosis of which was the referendum, in which most Britons voted in June 2016 for secession from the European Union," reads the article.
"But over the past few weeks, the EU seems to have stopped free falling into the abyss," writes Geiger, who analyzed the results of some recent polls.
Thus, the results of a study conducted by the Bertelsmann Foundation indicate that today about 75% of Germans would have voted in a potential referendum for membership in the EU - support grew by 6 percentage points. "An even more pronounced trend is observed in France: support grew by 16 percentage points in a few months, to 69%," says the author of the publication.
However, notes Geiger, this does not mean that the population of the two key European countries suddenly began to see everything in a positive light: "Only 28% of Germans and 38% of French are satisfied with the course that the European Union has taken today".
"Breckzit" - this is what has become the best advertisement for the EU in recent years, "said Isabel Hoffmann, one of the authors of the study of the Bertelsmann Foundation. "The events that took place after the British referendum made many doubt that there is a real alternative for the EU," she explained..
Recent studies conducted by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation also show that many more people than two years ago believe that the positive aspects of the EU prevail. In Germany, this figure almost doubled, by 30 percentage points, to 64%. In Spain - by 15 percentage points, in France and the Czech Republic - by 12 percentage points.
Polls indicate that the positive attitude of the French towards the EU has increased after the victory of Macron - from 41% in January to 54.7% at the end of May. This is evidenced by the indicators of the so-called Eurobarometer - a tool for studying public opinion, which has been assessing the attitude of residents to the EU for ten years. "A similar picture in Germany: according to the eurobarometer, euro-optimism has grown from 41.7 to 56.6% over the past year".
The Eurobarometer also shows that the euro- and migratory crisis is taking a back seat, now Europeans are worried about another. "The fight against terrorism comes first, the problem, the main culprit of which Europeans are not inclined to consider the EU," the author notes..
And only in one country the image of the EU is constantly deteriorating - this is Italy. "No other EU country has been such a frank victim of both the euro-and the migration crisis.
From the eurofanate, Italy has become a Eurosceptic, "states the journalist.
As the studies of the Bertelsmann Foundation show, today only 56% of Italians would vote for membership in the EU.
"It is not yet clear," Guyger writes in conclusion, "whether euroeforia is a new trend or is it temporary. The decisive factor is whether after the rescue of the euro and the migration deal with Turkey and North Africa, it will be possible to resolve both crises for a long time ".
Source: Inopressa.