Nearly two-thirds of EU citizens think that life wouldn’t be worse without the bloc, a recent survey revealed. It probably highlights the end of a love story between Brussels and those living in the union, an analyst told RT.
The report which says there is a significant divide between the leadership and the people within the EU was released by the Friends of Europe think tank on Thursday. The group, which is partially funded by the EU, insists that its goals are to “create a more inclusive, sustainable and forward-looking Europe.”
The document reveals that some 64 percent of Europeans “aren’t convinced life would be worse without the EU.” If nothing changes, the whole union will remain “irrelevant” to a majority of its citizens, the group notes. Currently nearly half of those polled (49 percent) believe “the EU is irrelevant.”
Transparency is also an issue for Europeans, according to the survey, as well as frustration at the EU administration for not focusing on the things people really care about. “Europeans want to have a bigger say” on policy decisions, the poll found.
The survey comes on the heels of EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini’s statement where she alleged the world simply wouldn't survive without the bloc. “Close your eyes and imagine for one moment the European Union disappeared from the global scene right now,” she started her inspiring message earlier this week. “The world would simply collapse,” she concluded.
Whether the world will indeed face such a grim fate is arguable. Yet, what the report showcases is that “the love story of Europeans with Europe is coming to an end,” RT has been told. And this love may be vanishing due to ‘open borders,’ Brussels-based independent journalist Luc Rivet said.
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People “want their borders back because they see that European borders don’t function after 4 years of problems.” According to the journalist, Europeans don’t realize that all directives and legislation in their own country merely come from Brussels guidelines produced by EU institutions.
He noted that although the EU is very important for its citizens, they now “don’t perceive” it to be and “prefer their national identity.”
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