By the Editorial Team
▪
One year from the European Parliament elections (June 2024): what is the opinion of European citizens (particularly, Portuguese citizens) about European integration?
Before our blog begins its usual summer break, it is important to assess the state of European “democracy in action”. According to the June Eurobarometer results, it could be argued European integration is progressing favourably.[1] Various indicators, such as citizens’ support for democracy, awareness of the upcoming European elections, and the recognition of the impact of the European Union (EU) on citizens’ lives, point to a prevailing sentiment that the EU is a vital lifeline.
To which extent, one might ask? First, Europeans widely recognise the EU’s leading role in responding to the successive crises that have shaped the current European Parliament (EP) legislature. In Portugal, for instance, 80% of respondents (8 out of 10 Portuguese) recognise the impact of the EU on their daily lives, while the European average stands slightly lower at 71%. This aligns with a recent poll conducted in Portugal, according to which Portuguese citizens believe that the EU influences the decisions made by their Government and Parliament, and they not only endorse this influence but also perceive it as positive.
Turning our attention to the EP specifically, the Eurobarometer survey reveals that 66% of respondents in Portugal (and 54% on average across Europe) believe that the role of the EP should be strengthened, granting it greater importance in the European institutions as a whole – an opinion that is more pronounced among young people. Moreover, over half of the respondents (56%) express an active interest in the next European elections, an increase of 6 percentage points compared to a similar period in 2018, even though the elections are still a year away. Hopefully, this level of enthusiasm increases, as the support of Europeans in the last European elections was decisive in halting the growth of far-right movements, albeit this was not the case in Portugal, where abstention was prevalent.
This time around, however, 62 % of Portuguese citizens say they would probably vote if elections were held in a week’s time. In any case, the European elections need to be made more widely known, as the percentage of Europeans who would vote within a week is around two-thirds (67%). In comparison, back in April 2018, prior to the 2019 European elections, 58% of Europeans said they were likely to vote. This indicates that citizens are more sensitised to vote in the 2024 European elections, compared to a similar timeframe preceding the 2019 elections.
Apparently, the impactful message conveyed by EP President Roberta Metsola is resonating among the public, as she embarks on a tour across Europe, speaking directly to citizens. Her recent visit to Portugal stands as a testament to her efforts in appealing to young individuals, emphasising the importance of elections, and highlighting the power of voting in shaping the EU we want to live in – it represents the opportunity to stand up for the issues that affect us. Indeed, this message from President Metsola about the significance of European elections for maintaining democracy is having an effect.
Moreover, respondents consider democracy to be the most important value to be defended by the EP. On a scale of priorities, the defence of democracy comes in 1st place for 37% of respondents, followed by the protection of human rights in the EU and in the world (which was the response of 28%), as well as freedom of expression and thought (which gathered the preference of 27%). In Portugal, democracy also emerges as the utmost value to be safeguarded (35%), solidarity between Member States and regions follows closely (with 32%), while the protection of human rights comes next (31%).
It is worth noting that more than half of respondents (54% of Europeans and 67% of Portuguese) are generally satisfied with the functioning of democracy in the EU, which to some extent discredits the discourse of Brussels’ alleged democratic deficit. Analysing various democratic elements, respondents are most satisfied with free and fair elections (70%), freedom of expression (70%) and respect for fundamental rights (66%). Meanwhile, they are less pleased with the fight against corruption (60%) and disinformation (52%). Portuguese people exhibit an even more favourable stance compared to the European average, as reflected in their opinions. Free and fair elections in the EU are highlighted by 85% of Portuguese, freedom of expression by 80%, and media diversity in the EU meets the satisfaction of 83% of Portuguese.
Examining now what the Portuguese are least pleased with in terms of democracy in the EU, the fight against corruption emerges as a major concern for 67% respondents. Additionally, 54% express dissatisfaction with political parties, echoing the results already noted by another poll recently conducted in Portugal.
The democratic aspects of the European perspective reveal a worrisome state of the economy and the financial situation of citizens. Half of those surveyed (50% of Europeans and 61% of Portuguese) perceive a decline in their standard of living and believe that this will continue next year. This raises expectations for concrete solutions: about two thirds of Portuguese (i.e., 70%) are not satisfied with the measures taken by their country to tackle the cost of living crisis, and 65% of Europeans see themselves in the same situation, yet, dissatisfaction in Portugal is higher; 61% of Portuguese are not pleased with the measures taken by the EU to alleviate the situation and 57% of Europeans think likewise.
One should note this assessment is also reflected in policy priorities for the future. Like the European average (38%), 54% of Portuguese want the EP to prioritise the fight against poverty and social exclusion. This is followed by supporting the economy and creating new jobs (49%) and, thirdly, promoting public health (45%). At the European level, the priorities are the same, but the order is reversed: after the fight against poverty, 33% of Europeans prioritise public health and 31% support for the economy and the creation of new jobs. The latter deserves the same priority as action against climate change, which in turn appears in fifth place for the Portuguese, with 21% of respondents; it could be said that on a scale of priorities, the Portuguese are more concerned with industrial and energy autonomy than with climate change; it is only natural, but it turns out to be the same package, given the Portuguese investment in renewable economies.
And finally, in terms of the assessment of EU actions, it is worth highlighting the satisfaction of Europeans in general, and the Portuguese in particular, as regards respect for the rule of law (64% of Europeans and 67% of Portuguese), as well as the EU’s foreign policy, with which 54% of Europeans and 65% of Portuguese are generally pleased.
Moreover, EU support for Ukraine stands out as the European action with which citizens are most satisfied (69%), with higher levels in the Netherlands (up to 90%), and in Sweden, Finland, and Ireland (87%). In Portugal, the percentage reaches 84%, placing the Portuguese among the most satisfied with the EU’s support for Ukraine.
These indicators reveal that the recent crisis of Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the invasion of Ukraine produced a profoundly integrating effect in the 27 Member States. Before these challenges, some solutions of a federative nature recently adopted were seen as impossible – joint debt instruments, joint procurement of critical goods etc. Additionally, the results of the Eurobarometer reveal that a common “European way of life” is based, above all, on a shared democratic cosmovision and common values.
All this confirms that Jürgen Habermas was right in his famous “dispute over Europe” with Wolfgang Streeck in the context of the sovereign debt crisis. At the time, the two men argued for two divergent paths for the future of integration, in a tension between “more” and “less” Europe. Habermas argued that a return to the nation state would be an unrealistic choice, not only for economic reasons – since Member States lack the tools to subject globalized financial markets to democratic control – but also because of a basic political observation that any nationalist path would not be guided today by progressive and democratic forces, but by populist movements that are dangerously contrary to democratic values – thus risking a repetition of the same mistakes made in the first half of the 20th century, which ended with two world wars.
[1] See European Parliament Spring 2023 Survey: Democracy in action – One year before the European elections: https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3093
Picture credits: Photo by by Lukas on Pexels.com.
Official Blog of UNIO 