Speech Margot Wallström tijdens Eurobarometer conferentie (en)

Figures and graphics available in PDF and WORD PROCESSED

Eurobarometer Conference

Gothenburg, 28 September 2009

Good morning Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen, eminent colleagues,

This conference is an excellent example of what I understand by communicating Europe in partnership. It has been set up through a joint effort of the University of Gothenburg and the European Commission, and I am happy that representatives of the Swedish Presidency, members of the European Parliament and the Reflection Group on the Future of Europe and many other distinguished guests are here with us today.

What do people in Europe – including the Swedes – expect of the EU? What sort of European Union do they want to see in the future?

Understanding European public opinion helps us find answers to these questions. Answers that will shape European policies in the years ahead.

Most obviously, people believe that the two most important issues in their country are, and will be, unemployment and the economic situation. More than a third of Europeans live on a day-to-day basis in a situation that does not allow them to make any plans for the future. Job security is of primary importance. Finding a job is difficult, even for people with good qualifications. Many people say that they have to change jobs frequently in order to stay in work.

Interestingly, while people think that the worst impact of the crisis is still to come, they are increasingly optimistic about their expectations for the future . Sweden is a particular example. Even though the Swedish media have been full of bad news about the economy over the last year, optimism regarding the future of the European Union is quite widespread and there are only a handful of countries in Europe where people are as satisfied with their lives as the Swedes.

With a worsening economic environment people have also become more negative about immigration, particularly its perceived effects on insecurity and unemployment. Only half of the Europeans think that immigrants enrich their country's culture and even less think that immigrants are needed in certain sectors of economy. Again, the general attitude in Sweden is more positive, and Swedes would prefer a society that is more tolerant towards ethnic and religious minorities.

The crisis means that people now give less priority to fighting climate change. They do not see climate change affect their daily as much as the economic crisis does. This is worrying, as the world urgently needs to take concerted action on this issue, and tough measures to cut emissions and save energy will need the support of public opinion. Politicians will need to argue much more forcefully that the fight against climate change can actually help get Europe get out of the economic crisis.

I am very happy to see that Europeans want a society in which solidarity and social equality are of primary importance. I find this very encouraging! Given that the new Commission and European Parliament should put solidarity and social equality high on their political agenda!

Interestingly – especially for the eurosceptics – Europeans want the EU to take on greater responsibilities in all major policy areas. In the past three and a half years there has been a particularly significant increase (nine or ten percent) in the number of people wanting more EU-level action to ensure economic growth, to protect social rights and to fight unemployment. For them, the EU looks more capable of dealing the most effectively with repercussions of the crisis than G20, the US and the IMF.

Meeting up those expectations will therefore be a huge responsibility for the European Union. The EU has the potential, and the commitment, to tackle citizens' expectations, but it can only do so by improving the way it works. In 2009 we are at a crucial juncture in shaping the EU of tomorrow.

We are awaiting with great anticipation, and I might say some anxiety, the outcome of the second Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, that will determine the direction the EU will take in the future.

Jason O'Mahoney, who has written a wonderful Spoofer's guide to the Lisbon Treaty, said " I believe in the European way of solving problems. It is slow and boring but it works … We have a treaty as thick as a phone book because our views and opinions would fill a phone book. We talk and talk and talk in Europe, which, admittedly, can be a pain […], but bear in mind: We used not to talk much at all. In 1870, 1914, and 1939 we hardly spoke a word to each other. How did that work out?"

In order to address people's concerns effectively and make the most of the new political impetus in our institutions, we must have good, relevant policies. And these policies will only be as good as your neighbour, your child's teacher or your local farmer thinks they are. In the end, the future of our Union will depend on how successful we are at ensuring that the people of Europe have a role in shaping the policies of Europe.

How can Eurobarometer help us address these challenges?

Eurobarometer has several advantages which, I think it's fair to say, are quite unique amongst other international survey programmes, both in terms of coverage and depth. It covers all the Member States, and asks the same essential questions year after year. For over three decades, we have been using it to gauge the perceptions of ordinary people and understand what they want from the EU. It has therefore enabled us to build up a comprehensive picture of public opinion trends across the continent since 1973.

I have been pleased to see the improvements made to the tool in recent years . We have established a network of experts on public opinion, and this conference may give a boost to our cooperation with partner institutes in other parts of the world.

We have also developed our ability to use Eurobarometer data for secondary analysis and reports. And alongside this work, we have launched some successful pilot projects for consultation of citizens, only to mention the Debate Europe project and the Citizens' Consultations. This qualitative work is an important parallel tool to the quantitative work of Eurobarometer, and I hope to see this work develop in the future.

As a result we will have more flexibility and be able to respond faster and more precisely to the concerns and policy expectations of Europeans. This is an essential part of listening and engaging with citizens. And this has been central to my policy over the last five years.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This conference will – I hope - tackle three points :

• 1. 

  What are the challenges ahead for the EU?

• 2. 

  How can understanding public opinion help us address these challenges?

• 3. 

  How can we work together to meet citizens' expectations?

I look forward to some challenging exchanges and some interesting conclusions.

Thank you.