SUMMARY 76

In the May 7th edition of The Economist, the Charlemagne column comments
about how the current sanitary crisis is influencing European discussions. Taking
action at the level of the EU is difficult when there isn't enough coherence among
member states and their public opinion.

Many heads of state are adressing this issue by trying to appeal directly to voters
from other states. Some are doing this through interviews, such as the one Italian
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte gave to a Dutch newspaper. Others write articles, as
the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez does often. There are even those who are
resorting to paid advertisements, such as the one a group of Italian mayors promoted
in a German newspaper.

This might contribute to promote a more cohesive public opinion in Europe.

The problem is analogous to that of 19th-century Italy, which became a unified country
before its population had a proper national identity. Some obstacles still lie ahead,
such as the multitude of official languages in the EU and, mainly, the way politics is
still heavily nationally-oriented for the majority of voters.

Some of these impediments are being overcome, which could lead to an

acceptable heated debate. Google Translate, the real equivalent of the "Babel fish" from
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", is enabling citizens to read texts written in
languages as obscure as Estonian. This does not mean, though, that readers will have
interest in reading about European politics. A fierce public discussion remains
nonetheless much more desired than a burocratic decision made in Brussels, as the
one regarding the distribution of the €1trn recovery fund dedicated to fight the
economic crisis created by the pandemic. Even if all this takes place, it is still prone to
failure, as demonstrated by the unsuccessful fight over the European public opinion
pushed by the Syriza-led Greek government in 2015.

There is still place for hope, though. German news outlets usually critical of
southern leader's irresponsible management are being more acceptant of the latter's
proposals to fight the crisis. It is precisely in critical moments for the EU that interest
spikes in public opinion. Even if the discussion becomes gradually more European, the
deciding voters remain national as usual.