Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/318021
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 25 MAY 2014 Opinion 24 S ome time today on the local front we shall know who the winners and losers of the Euro Parliament elections will be. One cannot exclude that the result will be subject to various interpretations. The campaign has been relatively long, coming as it does in the wake of an exhausting nationwide campaign in the run-up for the general elections a year ago. Polling was intensive. While this newspaper stuck to its by now customary role of polling with an almost religious commitment on most of the key issues and players, some others tried to follow in its footsteps. The parties and candidates themselves indulged in the game with quite some commitment too. But there is one particular poll that one should not ignore lightly and one particular litmus test that we can only risk ignoring at our own peril. The poll in question is the Pew Research Global Attitudes Project on the eve of the European Parliament elections, while to my mind the real Euro litmus test is the extent of the impact populism was expected to have on the electorate right across the European continent. Populists had long been predicted to steal the show in these elections but to what extent, we still need to find out. While I have never believed in populism, I think one should be smart enough to distinguish between sheer exploitative and manipulative populism and the quest to address people's genuine anxieties and concerns. It is a given that populism is based on fears. But many of us tend to stop there, without bothering to address the real causes of such populism by limiting themselves to its symptoms. The Pew Research Center found support for the EU possibly rebounding just in time for these elections but will it be reflected in the actual voting turn out? The majority in most countries complained that the EU does not understand their needs and is intrusive and inefficient. And they express little enthusiasm for giving the EU greater power on economic issues. In most of the countries surveyed, ratings for the EU have yet to return to pre-Crisis levels. While the Italians were always known to be amongst the staunchest pro-Europeans, they have become increasingly critical of the institution and were even divided as a nation over whether to keep using the euro as their currency. The Greeks, who have suffered most from the economic downturn, remain deeply skeptical of many aspects of the European project. One will need to figure out how correct Pew was in identifying the alignment of these dissidents. Primarily as to whether they were right that in the UK, Italy, Poland and Germany, people on the right of the political spectrum were generally more judgmental of the EU, while in Greece and Spain the strongest critics were on the left. That immigration added to the public's disgruntlement is no xenophobic phenomenon. Majorities in Italy, Greece, France and the UK expressed a desire to curb immigration, in part because many believe that immigrants fail to assimilate, and that they take citizens' jobs and government social benefits. These findings were conducted in seven EU member states – France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UKM between March and April of this year. There is no doubt that the biggest and most savage blow to the image of the EU was dealt by the euro crisis that began in 2008. Between 2007 and 2013 EU favourability fell by 34% in Spain, 21% in France and 20 points in Italy. On the other hand, the recent recovery in support of the European project is equally interesting. While some find the economic integration to be a process that strengthens a person's national economy, I find it most intriguing that noticeable rises in support were registered inn of all countries, the UK and Poland too. In spite of all the reservations about the euro, support for it remains quite strong. Only the Italians actually flirted with leaving it. Where the EU falters is when it comes to its institutions. Just 36% express a positive view of the European Parliament. Only 34% say the same about the European Commission. And a mere 30% have a favourable view of the European Central Bank. Poles hold the EU and all its institutions in the highest regard while the Greeks are the most critical. The Italians and the Greeks are the ones who despair most about their personal interaction with the EU. A median 65% say the EU does not understand their needs. There are still quite a number who still maintain an idealistic vision of the EU, holding on to views that echo the ambitious goals propounded by its founding fathers. Some see it as a promoter of peace, others as a world power and a minority also as a promoter of prosperity. This is more due to the debilitating effect that Europe's economic performance over the years had on attitudes towards the European project itself. There has also been a marked decline in hopelessness - a new public sense that the worst is now over. Amongst the biggest economic problems, one finds a lack of job opportunities, public debt, rising prices and the gap between the rich and the poor. Views of minorities vary widely both between countries and about specific minority populations. Which brings us to another, not so surprising but equally shocking survey on the UK voter's perception of the EU. Voters are five times more likely to be able to name their local MP than any of their MEPs, with only 11% saying they would be confident of naming one of their MEPs. Just 8% say they have made contact with an MEP. 27% could name Barroso as the President of the EU Commission, while 19% said that Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, occupied the post. In the next few hours we shall find out how accurate such polling turns out to be. Leo Brincat is Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change The real Euro litmus test In spite of all the reservations about the euro, support for it remains quite strong Leo Brincat