Eurosceptics shall not triumph. We have reached a time of pessimism in the run-up to the European elections. We are told that the results will demonstrate a shrinking in the idea of a European Community in favour of a return of power to the member states, which are seen as the only possible guarantee for national interests. I do not share this prediction - I do not believe that Eurosceptics will win the elections.
It is true that some people are unhappy with the present situation and it cannot be denied that they have their reasons. But I do not believe that they plan to destroy European unity and get their country out of Europe - instead, they want change. Citizens have the option of moving their support from one political force to another or to simply not vote as a gesture of protest without wanting power to return to the nation state. In a world where the geographical and economic weight of Europe is shrinking, one member state on its own means nothing and I believe that people understand this. And this is why, in my opinion, people who are disappointed with Europe today will not be voting for autonomy at the national level, which would mean total impotence. Voter turnout will be low in a number of member states due to lack of voter enthusiasm for Europe, but who would want a return to the hatred and wars of the past? We only have to look at the European countries that are not yet members of the EU queuing up to join.
The situation is complicated for young people. They didn't experience the death and destruction of wars in Europe in the past and see the situation they have known since birth is quite simply the way things are and will always be. They don't know anything about borders, which have virtually disappeared; they go off and study at university in other countries thanks to Erasmus; at times, they don't even known which country they are in because the borders aren't even signposted; the single currency is a fact of life and they are often aware that their best chance of finding a job is if they go to live in another member state.
I conclude from this short survey that the next European Parliament will not be Eurosceptic. And for young people, Erasmus is more important than leaving Europe and returning to the nation state.
The other method. It is worth pointing out that the door is always open if countries want to leave. Which is why in France, Marine Le Pen has chosen a different tactic from rejecting the European elections in order to return powers to the nation - she wants to set up a parliamentary group at the EP with a number of allies from other member states (25 MEPs are required in total for this) to destroy this bad Europe from within by restoring national autonomy from inside Europe. With this in mind, Mme Le Pen has put the best-known figures are the head of the election lists in order to get as many MEPs as possible. We mustn't forget that French domestic woes have a big impact on Europe at the moment and Mme Le Pen wants her party to win power in France in the wake of the crisis among the Socialists and divisions among the Centre-Right.
If the good things Europe does were better known… We could simplify matters by saying that the domestic problems of a number of member states are affecting the EU as a whole at the moment. Confidence could easily be restored if the public were more aware of the progress that has been made in many areas of the European project. A lot has been achieved, often after years of institutional wrangling and technical negotiations to make Europe more efficient and effective to the benefit of its citizens. The improvements made in daily life are, of course, gradual. Take a recent newsletter, EUROPE 11066 for example, which mentions a whole series of initiatives and ticks on the scoreboard: - a new European Energy Community, which will be discussed at the June Summit; - relaunching federal Europe which, in addition to its political significance, would allow savings of €800 billion a year; - proper management of the increasing numbers of illegal immigrants; - joint action on cigarettes, a move that is vital both for public health and for state coffers; - monitoring corruption and waste in the European institutions. And these examples pale in comparison with the work being done to keep a close eye on what the member states do with EU money in areas like: - the common agriculture and fisheries policies, what the member states do with the EU funding they receive; tough new rules for banks and the wider financial industry. (FR)