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June 9, 2011
Young Europeans say: More Integration is the Answer to the Euro-Crisis
The German Chancellor backs away from her pro-European positions, the French President supports her, and in Finland a party opposing European help for Greece wins elections: While national reflexes seem to be a common reaction to the Euro-crisis, the youth in Europe take a clear stand for more Europe in times of turmoil. This is the result of the first European Youth Poll by the European Youth Parliament in cooperation with Stiftung Mercator.
An overwhelming majority of young Europeans under 27 demand more European efforts: 90.9 % say the crisis should lead to closer cooperation between European countries in financial and economic policy. Even financial transfers from stronger to weaker economies are welcomed by 73.8 % as part of European solidarity. 1213 people from 35 European countries participated in the first European Youth Poll conducted by the European Youth Parliament among its alumni.
Regardless of difficult news on their common currency, the young Europeans do not think the Euro is in serious danger:
Over two thirds agreed with the sentence “I trust in the stability of the Euro”, a majority in non-Euro countries (65.7 %) as well as in Eurozone countries (74.0 %).
“I´m convinced that, with closer cooperation, we could have curtailed the impact of the current crisis”, says 19-year-old Céline Vermeire from Belgium, one person who took the poll. However, the young people identified “national interest” as by far the most dominant theme in national debates.
“I'm happy to see so clear a commitment of the youth to the EU, especially in times of growing Euroscepticism and populism with nationalist slogans”, Rebecca Harms, President of the Greens - Free Alliance Group in the European Parliament.
While a big majority calls for deeper European integration, there is skepticism regarding further enlargement: Respondents inside current EU member states were split over this topic, with a slight majority of 51.6 % opposing further enlargement and 44.0 % in favour of it.
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