MEPs urge EU to focus on its citizens, address existing divergences

The incoherencies at the heart of the Euroepan Union’s policymaking have become sharper during the past six months, Labour MEP Alfred Sant has told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Addressing a debate marking the closing of the Dutch Presidency of the EU, Sant said the EU construct is being increasingly seen as ineffictive as citizens live the terrorist attacks on Brussels, the Dutch referendum on the Ukraine agreement and now Brexit.

“We are told that the only viable way forward is by promoting ‘more’ Europe,” Sant said. “That negotiating Brexit will mean first negotiating a British exit, then negotiating what arrangement to apply for relations with the UK. That managing the migration crisis involves a deal with Turkey that amounts to a hidden strategy of ‘refoulement’ plus the creation of an external borders agency.

“That to beat terrorism, the cooperation between national security services needs to be strongly reinforced. All this is highlighting divergences within the Union between its heterogenous parts, already accelerated by the neo-liberal austerity that is the hallmark of what goes for economic policy.”

Sant insisted that it was puzzling that so many failed to recognize that, to stabilise the situation, the EU needed consolidation.

“This should take full account of national perspectives and interests, with as first priority, the need to counter the divergences that have developed between north and south, and east and centre of the Union.”

On her part, Mizzi urged the Slovak presidency to take proactive action during its six-month mandate to restore citizen’s confidence in the European project and to ensure that people are aware of the real impact the EU has in their everyday lives.

“European citizens feel that they have been losing out due to European issues concerning integration, immigration, and globalization amongst others.  People are focusing on the disadvantages and are failing to appreciate the advantages of a membership. The result of this alienation is the outcome of the British referendum,” Mizzi said.

“The Slovak Presidency, starts at a time of an unprecedented situation in Europe following Brexit. The vote leave was a critical voice of the British people, who felt short changed by the Union, and that the EU presented them with more problems than they needed. Indeed this might be what citizens of other Members States feel. Restoring people´s faith and trust in Project Europe has become crucial.” 

Mizzi argued that one of the main problems of the EU is its failure in communicating with citizens. “Otherwise, why would the most Googled question in the UK post Brexit be: ‘What is the EU?’  If it weren't so serious, it would almost be comical.”

“Unfortunately, this is not only a British problem, but a problem of all Member States and of the EU. It has become vital for the EU to find a way to reach out to its people and connect the decisions taken at EU level for their benefit and wellbeing.    Europe needs transparent media and a clear, honest and correct communication to its citizens. We must not treat citizens as if they are subordinates of Brussels but as important stakeholders. After all the EU is there for the citizens not vice versa. But do we transmit this enough?”