Spain discovers Euroscepticism amid economic gloom

 

Deep economic pessimism and the institutional cacophony of the European Union have worn down Spain's pro-European spirit. The last Eurobarometer opinion poll shows 62% of Spaniards "tend to distrust" the EU, against 30% who "tend to trust" it. Spanish distrust has now risen above the levels in France or Germany, though it has yet to reach the traditional Euroscepticism of Britain or the new-found wariness of troubled Greece. Spain's political elites have done nothing directly to encourage this sudden change. The previous socialist government did not even admit its changed economic policies were linked to EU pressure. Officially, the main parties on both the right and left are Europhile. No leading Socialist or member of the People's party (PP) has raised their voice against the EU. Nor have any leading nationalists in Catalonia or the Basque country. They believe the EU provides a better framework for their aspirations than the Spanish state. But Spaniards are poorly informed. After years as a country that receives more than it gives to EU funds, a November 2009 poll by CIS (Centre for Social Investigation) found only 26% knew that Spain was a net receiver. A higher percentage mistakenly believed it was a net donor. The groups who trust the EU most are the better-educated professionals, higher earners and young people. Distrust is highest among elderly people, those with less education, unemployed people, pensioners and those who have trouble paying their monthly bills. Trust is also higher among those who see globalisation as an opportunity, who also tend to come from the higher social and economic classes. Those who see the national economy in optimistic terms, admittedly a minority in Spain, are also trusters. Spain's EU entry came with hopes that it would help bolster freedoms and reduce economic and social differences. And that is what happened. But now 67% of Spaniards believe things are going in the wrong direction inside the EU, against only 13% who believe they are going right. Despite all this, it is still early to declare Spain a Eurosceptic country. Even though public support has fallen dramatically (in October 2010, for example, three out of four Spaniards had a good or very good opinion of the EU, according to the Latinobarómetro), other figures show a country seeking European solutions. Six out of 10 Spaniards agree, for example, that EU membership has been good for their country and that it is best to stay in, even if those percentages are falling. There is room for confidence: 74% of Spaniards think Europe urgently needs a government with sufficient powers to unify and co-ordinate the actions of the 27 member states, according to a Metroscopia poll from January 2012. That seems clear backing for the recent Brussels agreement that Britain opted out of. This is not a task that Mariano Rajoy's PP government can carry out alone, but public opinion points to the way forward – which is to work towards exactly that kind of joint government. Apart from the problems of achieving that, another major test awaits: finding out whether people are really aware enough of the price to be paid in terms of national policies that will be conditioned by higher powers inside the EU framework or in the directorate that is set up at its heart.