Europe at a crossroads: Here's why it is struggling

According to The Guardian, the report is based on 5,800 interviews conducted in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom, as well as an analysis of public debates in 15 countries.

The findings paint a picture of an ambitious but disillusioned public.

As many as 68 percent of respondents associate Europe with a general deterioration or a loss of normality, while only 12 percent see the current situation as a period of European awakening and renewal.

Many respondents recognize the key challenges facing Europe, including war (43%), economic pressures (33%) and the need for greater international autonomy (29%).

Shutterstock/Azulblue

Despite this, 74 percent of respondents believe that Europe is not handling these problems well, while 56 percent believe its future is at risk, Index.hr reported.

The problem is not a lack of ambition: 73 percent of respondents support a vision of Europe based on greater unity and political integration (35%), peace and security (28%), or prosperity (19%).

By contrast, only 13 percent want less Europe or the breakup of the EU.

The gap between vision and reality

Study author Pawel Zerka of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) explains that the problem is not that people no longer want a stronger Europe, but that they no longer believe it is achievable.

The result, he says, is what he calls a “gap in imagination.” People can imagine the kind of Europe they want, but they do not see a credible path from the current situation to that goal, he explains.

“These are questions of policy, not just communication,” Zerka stresses.

Ahead of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s annual address, Zerka says the data suggest that the EU needs fewer grand promises and more concrete evidence of the direction in which it is moving.

The voices of citizens

Shutterstock/George Khelashvili

The study also includes excerpts from conversations with citizens.

“I regularly feel relieved to live in Europe. It is not perfect, and some things are moving in the wrong direction, but no other region in the world is safer, freer or more democratic,” said one respondent from Germany.

He identified the climate crisis and the rise of the far right as the biggest challenges, but believes they are not being addressed effectively. “Elections focus too much on the present and not enough on the future,” he added.

Asked what kind of Europe he would like to see in 20 years, he replied: “Free, democratic, sustainable, less indebted, more politically left-leaning and peaceful.”

But when asked whether he believed this would become reality, his answer was brief: “No.”

Four groups of European voters

The study divided European voters into four groups:

Optimists (19%) are convinced pro-European voters who see crises as an opportunity for deeper integration.

Pessimists (39%) believe Europe’s best days are behind it. This group includes nearly half of respondents in France, Germany and Italy, as well as almost all voters of radical right-wing parties such as Germany’s AfD, France’s National Rally (RN), the Netherlands’ PVV and Nigel Farage’s party in the UK.

As many as 83 percent of them associate Europe with a sense of loss and decline.

The Disengaged (12%) are mostly apathetic voters for whom the EU is a distant issue, while the Undecided (31%) share pro-European values but doubt the continent’s ability to act decisively, protect its citizens and uphold its ideals.

The key lies with the undecided

Shutterstock/GEORGIOS GKOUMAS

Nearly a third of respondents (32%) cited Europe’s slowness as a problem.

A young Polish respondent, born after 2000, summed it up this way: “The EU basically talks a lot but does nothing.”

Another frequent concern was the EU’s failure to take a firm stance toward powerful global actors, mentioned by 30 percent of respondents. Recent tariff concessions to Donald Trump were cited as an example.

Paweł Zerka stressed that the undecided group is crucial to Europe’s future direction. “Leaders usually address the optimists or give in to the pessimists, but it is among the undecided that faith in the European project can still be preserved,” he said.

Unlike staunch Eurosceptics, the undecided remain emotionally attached to Europe, but are put off by institutional inertia and the perception of geopolitical weakness, the report says.

To restore their confidence, politicians must demonstrate how joint action can solve concrete problems facing citizens—from energy security and defense to climate change and the rising cost of living, Zerka concludes.