Europeans oppose the European Union (EU) for a few reasons. Issues of nationalism, culture, immigration, employment, and autonomy tend to be almost inextricably intertwined in a way that outweighs any benefits to EU membership for some.
For those that do oppose the EU, there is a concern expressed about national identity and culture. This large continent comprises entities that have functioned as separate nations for hundreds of years. Some nations were formed at great sacrifice and cost, and people want to maintain the national identify fought for. They feel that they are losing their national identify in the EU, as borders blur and people move about freely. What does it mean to be Spanish or French if half the people in Spain are German and three-fourths of the people in France are Dutch? The way the EU is, that could happen. The more cultures spread across Europe, the greater the concern that one's own culture will be diluted. This includes language, attire, food, music, and much more. It is not so clear that this is happening in the EU, simply that it is what some people fear.
The EU policy of accepting refugees has become an enormous problem for European countries, financially, logistically, and culturally. As Europe tries to absorb the vast numbers of people who are fleeing the Middle East and Africa, geography, national policies, and resources have created bottlenecks, resentments, public health crises, and political backlash. The refugees have preferences as to which countries they want to settle in because of the refugee-friendly policies of those countries, for example, Germany, and this means that a few European countries are carrying a far greater load than others. Nothing like this situation was contemplated by the EU, and while it may be sorted out eventually with some agreement about more even distribution, there are many people who would just as soon leave the EU, as the United Kingdom just voted to do.
The interplay between immigration and employment is another concern of some Europeans. Once people can easily live in whatever EU country they choose, the fear is that people from one EU country are taking jobs away from those in another EU country. This may or may not be the case, but some EU countries, for example, Greece, have had unemployment of over 25%, and people are upset and angry about this. Some people think that if they can just keep people out and employ only citizens of their own nation, it will solve the problem. I doubt that is true, but truth often does not figure in people's beliefs.
Greece is also an example of another objection people have to the EU, which is a lack of autonomy. Greece, when it got in economic hot water, was bailed out by the EU, but it was forced to do whatever the EU told it to do in terms of fiscal and economic policy. For many Greeks, it was as though their own government had no power and they were (and are) being ruled by people far away whom they did not vote for. Autonomy has become increasingly important to some people as the immigration crisis mounts, since the EU began primarily as an economic union, not a political union, and now, it does feel as though political decisions are being made by some sort of "super-government" no one contemplated. The fact is that each country does elect a representative to the EU, but many people seem unaware of this.
While many of the reasons people oppose EU membership are completely self-serving and lacking in foresight, they are not all irrational concerns and should be addressed. If there is going to continue to be an EU, it is going to go through more growing pains, I'm sure, trying to balance between the needs of nations and the needs of the Union, perhaps similar to the tension between the federal government and the states in the United States.
No comments:
Post a Comment