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Europeans Overwhelmingly Appreciate Border-Free Travel

... A Eurobarometer report published in December 2018 about the EU’s Schengen Area sheds valuable light on the emotionally charged discussions in the EU about migration and Europe’s internal borders. The pollsters surveyed nearly 28,000 EU citizens in June and July 2018. Most of the Europeans in the 26 states that comprise the Schengen group say they know that their country is part of the ... learn more

  

What to expect from the 2019 EU elections amidst contestation and populism?

... With less than six months to go, it is a good time to consider what we might expect in the run-up to the 2019 European Parliament elections. The media’s visibility will be key. What can we expect in terms of media visibility for the election, the role of the campaigns, and the role of social media? The media and EP elections The EP election is a pivotal moment for democracy in the EU. It ... learn more

  

What sort of Europe?

... In five months’ time, citizens across the EU will elect a new European Parliament. Despite a string of national electoral upsets since the Eurozone crisis -- from Italy to Sweden, Germany to Greece -- the mood in Brussels is surprisingly relaxed as we enter the vote’s campaign phase. Perhaps with good reason: since Brexit, support for the EU has shot up. Nonetheless, as everyone prepares ... learn more

  

Far Right Strong in France and Germany

... Rightist-leaning German and French voters in structurally weak regions have more in common with one another than one might think – and it’s not fear of foreigners or Islam, the EU's shortcomings, unemployment, or even the elitist media, concludes the left-liberal German think tank Das Progressive Zentrum and its French partner Liegey Muller Pons in their recent study “Return to the ... learn more

  

Europeans are convinced of climate change

... The recent UN report on the rapid advance of climate change and its dire implications for the planet have alerted European politicians, the public, and the EU itself to the necessity of action to curb climate change. It is the topic of the UN-led COP24 talks in Katowice, Poland, Dec. 2 to 14, 2018. This makes the findings of the most recent study of the European Social Survey (ESS) all the ... learn more

  

The Power of the Past

... Quote When to the sessions of sweet silent thoughtI summon up remembrance of things past,I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,And with old woes new wail my dear time’s waste. William Shakespeare, Sonnet 30 Executive Summary Nostalgia is a powerful political tool. References to a better past are skillfully employed by populist political entrepreneurs to fuel dissatisfaction with ... learn more

  

Globalization and the EU: Threat or opportunity?

... Executive Summary Last year we published the reportFear Not Values: Public opinion and thepopulist vote in Europein which we presented survey evidence suggestingthat supporters of populist parties differ from supporters of mainstreamparties in one important respect: they fear globalization.Here we follow up on these findings and explore in depth people’s knowledgeand feelings about ... learn more

Je t'aime. Moi non plus

Je t'aime. Moi non plus

... When Emmanuel Macron won the French presidential election with a risky strategy and against all odds in May 2017, spring seemed to break out in Paris. New faces, new dynamics, and the promise to do many things differently and thus better, were in the air and inspired large swathes of the French public. But the protests of the "yellow vests" have in their intensity and perseverance now ... learn more

Cold Love

Cold Love

... The 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, has been highly controversial ever since he took office over a year ago. His isolationist message of ‘America First’, his decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement and to move the US embassy to Jerusalem are just some of his actions that have created great controversy on the global stage. While his predecessor Barack Obama ... learn more

Dissatisfied and Disenchanted

Dissatisfied and Disenchanted

... The outcome of the Italian elections remains uncertain. It seems to be a fight between three major political forces, Forza Italia, Lega Nord and the Five Star Movement, all of which score high on populist and Eurosceptic rhetoric. For many years, Italian public opinion was characterized by strong support for and belief in European integration. Today, many actors on the Italian political ... learn more