The EU economic crisis: reflections in the opinions of citizens and experts

In: Romanian journal of european affairs, Band 13, Heft 3, S. 5-19

Abstract

Perhaps one of the most important challenges that the EU is currently facing is that of building public support for the Union project as the economic crisis develops, confidence in the EU future is weakened and member states turn to their own boundaries. Therefore, this research aims at identifying the public opinion on the economic future of the European Union in the particular context of the euro crisis, given the fact that utilitarian considerations represent a key driver for the Europeanization process. At the same time, we compare expert opinions about the impact of the crisis on the future of the European Union, as well as the perceptions of ordinary people. To accomplish the research goals, we conducted expert interviews with 11 of the most prominent economic experts in Romania and a national survey (N=1002)1. The study supports the perspective that citizens' opinions about the economic evolution of the European Union are largely based on their sociotropic and egocentric economic assessments. The crisis influences the perspectives on the EU, but only by tempering optimism, turning it into a moderate view. This result can be extended to other Central-Eastern states as well, due to their resembling paths. Also, experts indicate various scenarios when referring to the impact of the crisis on the EU's future, but beyond the variations, the prospects are neither optimistic, nor pessimistic, but rather moderate. Keywords: European Union, economic crisis, euro, the EU's future, Central and Eastern Europe, Europeanization. (Romanian Journal of European Affairs / SWP)