Short panoramic views of the member states on the eve of the 25th of May European elections
by Emanuele Bonini
The European Union has been a conquest. In the Europe everybody agrees on that. Countries coming out from communism looked at the European Union as the only way to preserve their freedom found again after decades of soviet rule and Cold war political and military tension. The western block was a dream on the other part of the Iron curtain, so when communism fell the European dream of the Eastern block became real. There's a huge link between the EU and its eastern member states: for both parts the enlargement has had a very powerful meaning, historical (and I would sat mental) even before political. For eastern countries joining the EU meant not just the end of a nightmare, but a recognition at international. For the first time after the 2nd world war they started to be considered as good and friendly partners. This introduction is necessary to can understand the Euroscepticism of eastern countries. Compared to other EU member states, Euroscepticism from former soviet satellite states is easiest to be understand: we are talking about very young democracies, states whose sovereignty is new, so for these states is more difficult to transfer national powers to the EU. It's normal and comprehensible. Why the majority of this states are against the introduction of Euro? Because national currency is perhaps the first symbol of sovereignty. In these countries their own past is still too fresh to can live without fear or out of doubt. So it has not to be seen as a tragedy criticism coming from the east. European elections in Poland will of course send a political message: time for European integration is over. Under Polish point of view the country have already transferred enough powers to Brussels, and reduced its own sovereignty at the maximum possible level. Of course, there Eurosceptic populist parties such as New Righ (whose leader, Janusz Korwin-Mikke, was able to state «we will sell the site of the European Parliament and turn it into a brothel»), but the main right-wing party, Law and Justice (PiS), former prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski and of his twin brother's party, does not openly oppose the EU and cannot be called xenophobic. Prime minister Donald Tusk's centre-right Civic Platform (Cp) is supposed to get around 20% of the votes, being the second party after Pis. So what? That would make it the first election Cp has lost since 2005. That's what in democracy is called alternation.
In Czech Republic the slogan for the European elections is "vote for Europe, not for the European Union". This slogan perhaps well summarize how the European Union is perceived in the former soviet block of the EU, too much present in national affairs but at the same time too far from Czech feelings. The point is Czechs feels Czechs but they don't feel European. Both in 2004 and in 2009 the turnout was at 28%, showing how interested are Czechs to the European election. They are free and defended by post-soviet Russian threats, and that's the only thing really counting. For Slovaks is the same: the European Union is seen as too far, unable to can solve the current economic crisis and not able to understand what real Slovak needs are. Rather than scepticism in the country there's lack of confidence, and it's not the same thing. Abstention will be with every probability the first choice of Slovaks voters, as tradition wants. Voter turnout was 16% in 2004 and 19% in 2009. In Hungary what people want is clear: nationalism. They re-elected Viktor Orban as chief of the government, but if Orban's Fidesz lost nearly 10% of the votes (44,5%, down from about 53%) far-right party Movement for a Better Hungary, commonly known as Jobbik, gained around 4%. So, more Hungary and less Europe. In Hungary the problem is more serious than in the other countries: it seems there's some problem with democracy, but this is another issue. Since Hungarians already voted on April it appears difficult they can come back to vote on May, so here abstention could be the main result. For political forces in Romania, the European elections are first and foremost a test before the presidential election, to be held later this year. Romanians will vote to elect a new President in November 2014, and political parties view the EU elections as an early opportunity to strengthen their position. The problem neither Romanians are so interested to the European Union: voter turnout was 29% in 2007 and 27% in 2009. Maybe this time participation will be greater than the past, but in any case Romanians will not vote with European perspective.
Baltic states are, on the contrary, those where the European Union is more appreciated. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have another approach to the EU. Member states since 2004, they immediately started to work in order to introduce the European currency. Estonia joined the Eurozone in 2011, Latvia this year, and Lithuania is supposed to do the same from 1st of January next year. Euro will be one of the main factors for Latvia, still facing problem with the changeover. Prices rose and many people believe the country introduced the new currency in a wrong moment. At the same time the crisis in Ukraine brought many Latvian to reconsider their skepticism. Many of them are happy to be part of the EU and NATO, because it gives them security against Russia. So European elections will be a test for Euro but at the same time a test against Moscow. In Latvia Russia could become the main reason to sustain the EU. The situation is similar in Lithuania, where people are as happy as Latvians to be part of the EU and NATO and have granted security from Russia. The country made a very clear choice - perhaps just because of the past - and is confirming what already done. Lithuania's president Dalia Grybauskaite, on course for re-election, after independence in 1990 she became a senior civil servant and political aide responsible for building economic relations and negotiating Lithuania's membership in the EU. Next 11th of May will be crucial for the country: voting for Grybauskaite will mean confirm the European commitment, and polls suggested it will be so. What tell about Estonia? The country was the first of the Baltic states to have Euro, and currently is the only EU member states to give the possibility of the electronic vote in case of European elections for citizens abroad. They could be sceptic or not, but the attention for the issue is high. Estonia is perhaps an example to be followed by the rest of former soviet block states. (3. To be continued)
The European Union has been a conquest. In the Europe everybody agrees on that. Countries coming out from communism looked at the European Union as the only way to preserve their freedom found again after decades of soviet rule and Cold war political and military tension. The western block was a dream on the other part of the Iron curtain, so when communism fell the European dream of the Eastern block became real. There's a huge link between the EU and its eastern member states: for both parts the enlargement has had a very powerful meaning, historical (and I would sat mental) even before political. For eastern countries joining the EU meant not just the end of a nightmare, but a recognition at international. For the first time after the 2nd world war they started to be considered as good and friendly partners. This introduction is necessary to can understand the Euroscepticism of eastern countries. Compared to other EU member states, Euroscepticism from former soviet satellite states is easiest to be understand: we are talking about very young democracies, states whose sovereignty is new, so for these states is more difficult to transfer national powers to the EU. It's normal and comprehensible. Why the majority of this states are against the introduction of Euro? Because national currency is perhaps the first symbol of sovereignty. In these countries their own past is still too fresh to can live without fear or out of doubt. So it has not to be seen as a tragedy criticism coming from the east. European elections in Poland will of course send a political message: time for European integration is over. Under Polish point of view the country have already transferred enough powers to Brussels, and reduced its own sovereignty at the maximum possible level. Of course, there Eurosceptic populist parties such as New Righ (whose leader, Janusz Korwin-Mikke, was able to state «we will sell the site of the European Parliament and turn it into a brothel»), but the main right-wing party, Law and Justice (PiS), former prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski and of his twin brother's party, does not openly oppose the EU and cannot be called xenophobic. Prime minister Donald Tusk's centre-right Civic Platform (Cp) is supposed to get around 20% of the votes, being the second party after Pis. So what? That would make it the first election Cp has lost since 2005. That's what in democracy is called alternation.
In Czech Republic the slogan for the European elections is "vote for Europe, not for the European Union". This slogan perhaps well summarize how the European Union is perceived in the former soviet block of the EU, too much present in national affairs but at the same time too far from Czech feelings. The point is Czechs feels Czechs but they don't feel European. Both in 2004 and in 2009 the turnout was at 28%, showing how interested are Czechs to the European election. They are free and defended by post-soviet Russian threats, and that's the only thing really counting. For Slovaks is the same: the European Union is seen as too far, unable to can solve the current economic crisis and not able to understand what real Slovak needs are. Rather than scepticism in the country there's lack of confidence, and it's not the same thing. Abstention will be with every probability the first choice of Slovaks voters, as tradition wants. Voter turnout was 16% in 2004 and 19% in 2009. In Hungary what people want is clear: nationalism. They re-elected Viktor Orban as chief of the government, but if Orban's Fidesz lost nearly 10% of the votes (44,5%, down from about 53%) far-right party Movement for a Better Hungary, commonly known as Jobbik, gained around 4%. So, more Hungary and less Europe. In Hungary the problem is more serious than in the other countries: it seems there's some problem with democracy, but this is another issue. Since Hungarians already voted on April it appears difficult they can come back to vote on May, so here abstention could be the main result. For political forces in Romania, the European elections are first and foremost a test before the presidential election, to be held later this year. Romanians will vote to elect a new President in November 2014, and political parties view the EU elections as an early opportunity to strengthen their position. The problem neither Romanians are so interested to the European Union: voter turnout was 29% in 2007 and 27% in 2009. Maybe this time participation will be greater than the past, but in any case Romanians will not vote with European perspective.
Baltic states are, on the contrary, those where the European Union is more appreciated. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have another approach to the EU. Member states since 2004, they immediately started to work in order to introduce the European currency. Estonia joined the Eurozone in 2011, Latvia this year, and Lithuania is supposed to do the same from 1st of January next year. Euro will be one of the main factors for Latvia, still facing problem with the changeover. Prices rose and many people believe the country introduced the new currency in a wrong moment. At the same time the crisis in Ukraine brought many Latvian to reconsider their skepticism. Many of them are happy to be part of the EU and NATO, because it gives them security against Russia. So European elections will be a test for Euro but at the same time a test against Moscow. In Latvia Russia could become the main reason to sustain the EU. The situation is similar in Lithuania, where people are as happy as Latvians to be part of the EU and NATO and have granted security from Russia. The country made a very clear choice - perhaps just because of the past - and is confirming what already done. Lithuania's president Dalia Grybauskaite, on course for re-election, after independence in 1990 she became a senior civil servant and political aide responsible for building economic relations and negotiating Lithuania's membership in the EU. Next 11th of May will be crucial for the country: voting for Grybauskaite will mean confirm the European commitment, and polls suggested it will be so. What tell about Estonia? The country was the first of the Baltic states to have Euro, and currently is the only EU member states to give the possibility of the electronic vote in case of European elections for citizens abroad. They could be sceptic or not, but the attention for the issue is high. Estonia is perhaps an example to be followed by the rest of former soviet block states. (3. To be continued)
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