E.U. embarks on a promotional exercise

By Batuk Gathani

BRUSSELS, JULY 22. A Europe-wide opinion poll reveals that a well over half the citizens are not well informed about European issues and institutions. It finds citizens sceptical about and indifferent to many issues as after five months, the 15-member European Union prepares to float the single currency notes and coins in 12 euro- zone nations.

For example, more than 40 per cent of some 16,000 people who took part in the survey said they had no knowledge of the Nice treaty, which was adopted last year to pave way for future E.U. expansion.

The new member-States will come from eastern and central Europe ruled by communist governments before the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989.

It is revealed that only 54 per cent of the people think that their country's membership of the E.U. is a good thing.

The same percentage has any trust in the European Commission - the executive arm of the European Union which employs over 17,000 civil servants, who earn twice or thrice the amount of money they would in their home service.

Such lacklustre image of the E.U. and its institutions prompts a majority of the Europeans to believe that they are not beneficiaries of the E.U. membership.

Only in Ireland, 72 per cent of the people are enthusiastic about the membership while in Britain only 29 per cent of people feel that way.

Obviously, the European Commission officials are deeply concerned about such embarrassing revelations and next week on Wednesday, the Commission will propose confidence boosting measures.

For example, far-reaching changes are proposed in the way the European legislation is drafted and presented, ostensibly to contain the disillusionment and mistrust.

The European Parliamentarians, civil servants and politicians command a very low level of popularity. There is a major communication and credibility gap among citizens, officials and politicians.

The bureaucracy is almost seen as ``distant and foreign'' and there is a call for more transparency and accountability. The Commission will present a ``white paper'' next Wednesday recommending steps to improve its image.

The government leaders are alarmed over that fact that Europeans feel that the institutions are not dealing effectively with pan- European problems like environment, unemployment, food safety, crime and regional conflicts.

This has also triggered the spectre of racism and xenophobia with growing inflow of refugees and asylum seekers not only from eastern Europe, but also Third World countries.

In 1991, the E.U. had set out on an ambitious plan for political, economic and monetary union by the beginning of 21st century but opinion polls reveal that a majority of citizens feel that the institutions are becoming more bureaucratic, cumbersome and expensive.

The more pessimistic perception is that the governance structures are unwieldy.

On the optimistic side, it is argued that the dream of the European unity has achieved much in the last four and half decades. The European community started from a narrow coal and steel community.

It has now emerged as a broad political and economic union, which has not only overcome the trauma of two world wars, but after the fall of communism in 1989, the E.U. is pioneering ways of multi- party democracy and free market economy in the former communist ruled regions, which includes Russia.

In western Europe, victors and vanquished have united to forge common goals and aspirations - solidarity between Germany and France symbolises that quest for unity and pan- European aspirations.

The Europeans today also enjoy unprecedented prosperity with high living standards in their history. The pan-European trade and investments are at a record high level as E.U. governments move towards an era of more sustained co-operation in economic and political matters.

It is hence often baffling for the European politicians and bureaucrats to encounter the average citizen's apathy about things European.

The simplistic response would attribute all this to poor public relations, which the European Commission in its ``white paper'' hopes to set right.

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Section  : International
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