EU -Open Society: New Report Finds Overwhelming Support Among Europeans for Open Society Values

Over 90 percent of Europeans surveyed in recent research by German think tank d|part and the Open Society European Policy Institute believe that the rule of law, pluralism, and the protection of individual rights are essential for a good society. As part of a collaborative project called Voices on Values, researchers asked more than 6,000 Europeans in six countries what they think about values such as media freedom, pluralism, and protection of minorities—and found strong support.

“Across Europe, there are politicians who believe talking about values loses votes, but this research shows that hidden under all the populist hullaballoo about an ‘illiberal Europe’ is a huge well of support for liberal values,” said Heather Grabbe, director of the Open Society European Policy Institute. “Politicians should not assume that just because people hold some closed society values, they also reject the open society ones.”

On average, 91 percent of Europeans consider the values associated with more open societies to be essential or “very essential.” Freedom of expression is the top priority for people in all six countries—France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, and Poland—followed by the right to criticize the government. When presented with lists of open and closed society attributes, people often chose items from both lists. Fifty-nine percent of respondents valued attributes associated with both open societies and closed societies, debunking the myth that Europeans are polarized in opposing camps. In fact, the majority of respondents did not regard open and closed society values as mutually exclusive. Just five percent chose closed society values only, such as cultural homogeneity and unquestioning media support for the government.

Even in countries with populist governments, support for open society values is strong:

• In Hungary, 94 percent believe in freedom of expression and 86 percent that media should be able to criticize the government.
• Poland has strong support for open society values, with over 70 percent believing newcomers should be treated equally and 80 percent that minority rights should be protected.
• Ninety-five percent of Italians believe in free speech, and 78 percent support the equal treatment of newcomers.
• Support for NGOs actively engaging with governments is the highest in Hungary and Poland—where NGOs have been attacked by authorities.

“Most people are more complex in their thinking than many politicians believe. For most it is no contradiction to value, for example, national cultural traditions highly and at the same time consider the protection minority rights important,” says Researcher Jan Eichhorn of the Berlin think tank d|part. “Rather than assuming that people just take extreme positions, politicians should try to better address the hidden majority that wants both aspects to be dealt with well.”

“This research shows the potential for bringing Europeans back together,” commented Grabbe. “Political campaigns in the run-up to the European elections should look for the common ground, which is proved to be much bigger than it seems in a debate dominated by voices of division and blame.”

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Europe – A World-Class Place To Live And Work? -by Juan Menéndez-Valdés

A world-class place to live and work.’ That is how President Juncker described Europe at the summit to formally proclaim the EU Pillar of Social Rights in Gothenburg last month.

And he added: ‘Europe is more than just a single market, more than money … It is about our values and the way we want to live’.

So how do we live? Do the 510 million Europeans across the current 28 Member States really feel that their living conditions are ‘world-class’?

Certainly, many do. But many others still face inequalities and feel excluded or insecure, worry about access to decent housing and jobs and wonder about the future for themselves and their children. This is reflected in growing populist sentiment that seems to reject the Establishment, making the general narrative on Europe appear largely negative.

But, as always, the reality is significantly more complex.

In fact, the last few years have been generally good and the ‘wind is (indeed) back in Europe’s sails’.

The results from the most recent European Quality of Life Survey show overall progress in the areas of quality of life, quality of society and quality of public services. We have seen improvements for many, although from low points following the economic crisis. Indeed, in some cases, the indicators finally display a return to pre-crisis levels – reflecting, in part, the general economic upturn and return to growth across the Member States.

Levels of optimism have risen, and life satisfaction and happiness ratings have remained generally high in most EU countries. Satisfaction with living standards has increased in a majority of Member States and more people can now make ends meet than was the case in 2011.

Trust in national institutions has actually increased across the board and young people in particular show greater trust in other people. The welcome growth in engagement and participation in social and community organisations across Member States and the decline in feelings of social exclusion, which were more prevalent in the downturn, are also signs of a more positive post-crisis environment.

Indeed, perceived tensions in society between poor and rich people, management and workers, old and young persons and men and women, have all declined during the last five years.

Older people indeed fare less well than their younger counterparts, particularly in some central and eastern European countries, and age clearly contributes to decreasing life satisfaction in Bulgaria, Croatia, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia. In two-thirds of the EU Member States, more than half of respondents also have concerns about their levels of income in old age.

In fact, despite growth that has seen fewer people reporting material hardship compared to five years ago, over half of the population in 11 Member States still say they have difficulties making ends meet.

This is marginally down on the 13 Member States where the majority of people expressed difficulties making ends meet in 2011 , but still more than 2007 levels. As always, the poor suffer most, and the results show that quality of life has improved less for those in lower income groups.

Read the complete report: Europe – A World-Class Place To Live And Work?

US Democratic Values down the drain: Trump’s extraordinary surrender of power - by Robert J. Samuelson

President Trump’s foreign policy, such as it is, rests on a massive and apparently indestructible contradiction. Trump wants the United States to remain the “essential” nation, the best embodiment of Western ideals of freedom and democracy, while at the same time deliberately alienating many of our traditional allies, whose support the United States desperately needs. American leadership becomes difficult, if not impossible.

It is hard to straddle this contradiction, because it reflects a basic misunderstanding of the American “greatness” that Trump so avidly pursues. To Trump, this greatness is mainly measured in economic terms: the number of added jobs; the trajectory of wages; the rate of economic growth. It is a nostalgic and unrealistic yearning for the economic dominance the United States enjoyed in the 1950s and 1960s.

The truth is that American greatness then and later was never about dollars and cents alone. Prosperity was a means to an end, not an end in itself. The greater objective was to promote democracy and mixed economies, with power divided between the market and government. To advance this vision, the United States advocated open trade and provided a military umbrella. The latter created a geopolitical shield against instability. 

Read more: Trump’s extraordinary surrender of power - The Washington Post