As France takes over the presidency of the European Union on January 1, a Europa-Nova-Ifop study published jointly in
Le Journal du dimanche
,
Corriere della sera
and
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
illustrates the radically different relationship that maintain the French, Italian and German populations with Europe.
This study indeed reveals the differences between these three leading countries of the European Union in terms of attachment to the continental structure.
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Thus, when 75 and 78% of Italians and Germans questioned say they are "
proud to be European
", the French themselves, are only 68% to share this feeling.
Conversely, our compatriots are 87% to declare themselves “
proud
” of their country, against 89% for the Italians and only 77% for the Germans.
A need for a "Europe of nations" in France
Another lesson correlated with this first observation: the French, unlike the Italians and the Germans, prefer a “
Europe of nations with more sovereignty of countries
” rather than “
European sovereignty within the framework of a more integrated Europe
”. Thus, 40% of our compatriots are in favor of the first choice, against 29% of the second and 31% who “
don't know
”. In Italy, the proportion is 34% for a Europe of nations, 50% for European sovereignty and 16% who do not know. Finally, 38% of Germans prefer the first choice, 43% the second and 19% “
don't know
”.
For Guillaume Klossa, founder of the Europa Nova think tank interviewed by the
JDD
, these elements allow us to draw several conclusions.
The first concerns the youth of these three countries: "
Concerns about the future of young people, which are stronger in France than in other European countries, prevent them from projecting themselves as Europeans
".
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In addition, "
the nature of the political regime is certainly a determining factor
" in these differences between France, Italy and Germany, according to Guillaume Klossa. The French presidential system "
polarizes opinion
", according to him. And "
if the president appears as pro-European [...], the oppositions will tend to oppose Europe in general or to neglect the subject
". The Italian and German parliamentary democracies, forced into alliances by this model, are on the contrary "in
favor of a positive political support for European issues
".
Finally, "
the strong focus of the French public debate on the subject of migration, associated with Europe, contributes to further accentuate the fragmentation of opinion
", analyzes Guillaume Klossa.
