In a little less than a month, more than 400
million Europeans, the second largest electorate in the world, will go
to the polls to elect 751 members of parliament in an election that is
probably the most decisive for the future of Europe since 1979, the
first time we voted for a transnational parliament.
For the past two years, EU and national leaders as well as civil
society representatives have been working relentlessly to define a joint
vision for Europe. Several scenarios were outlined by the European
Commission. Discussions and consultations were organised, plans
sketched, solutions formulated. Never before there has been such a
vivid, open and frank debate on the Europe we want and the one we want
to leave to the next generations.
Yet, much of this discourse on the future of Europe has been hijacked
by eurosceptics and marred by growing destructive populism. Under the
mantle of patriotism, populists promised to defend the interests of the
majority against immigrant minorities and “out-of-touch elites”.
Our
values were questioned, the right to do good as the core reason behind
of our political action was abandoned and ignored by many. Nationalism
is an ideological poison, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has
said. This poison risks posing a serious health risk to our democracy,
as populism attacks not merely real and imagined elites and the
establishment but also the very fundamental idea of political pluralism.
This is why European leaders meeting in Sibiu on the 9 May—Europe
day—must quickly inject the antidote, ahead of the European elections on
23-26 May. Many politicians have been at a loss when it comes to
countering populism. Increasingly, they have adopted a stance that some
call destruction through imitation, meaning outflanking far-right
competitors with tough talk on refugees and immigration in order to
regain consensus. That narrative has done serious damage to European
democracy in recent months, pushing people to vote for even more
extremist movements. Instead, democrats should present value choices
that can tackle inequality.
Read more at: Antidote to poisonous populism is a new Pact for a fair, resilient and a sustainable Europe – EURACTIV.com
