There is legitimate anger at the EU, and then there is populism and nationalism

There is no doubting the scale of disillusionment with the EU. We’ve seen profound shifts in popular attitudes to it across the continent. Countries that used to be overwhelmingly pro-EU, such as Italy, are now as eurosceptic as Britain. Is this fair? Yes and No. Yes, in that the roots of the EU’s legitimacy crisis lie in the mismanagement of the eurozone and Schengen, and the resulting erosion of popular faith in free movement. Only by sorting out these issues will confidence in the EU be restored. No, in that the problems of the eurozone and Schengen are being used by politicians, especially in Britain and Eastern Europe, to discredit the EU as a whole and to further populist and nationalistic agendas.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Euroskepticism Beyond Brexit http://www.europeansources.info/record/euroskepticism-beyond-brexit/

EurActiv, 07.06.16: Brexit or not, Europe’s voters are cooler on EU, survey reveals http://www.euractiv.com/section/eu-priorities-2020/news/brexit-or-not-europes-voters-are-cooler-on-eu-survey-reveals/

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