VIEW OF THE DAY: Today there is Europe, tomorrow we don’t know

It may seem strange, but there is a fact that it would be better to start understanding: the European elections that will be held in just one month, on June 9th, could have much more influence on our lives than the legislative elections held on March 10th. and which led to the formation of the current government. Today, as we celebrate the 74th anniversary of the Schuman declaration that led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community, the precursor to today’s European Union, it is a good time to remember it.
For 24 hours, we celebrate Europe Day and, for that reason, some monuments appear illuminated in EU colors and, everywhere, various initiatives are taking place to mark the date. This is the day of great speeches about the European dream and in which, for a moment, we may even have the idea that the future of the European Union will come to occupy the center of political debate.
However, what is most certain is that all of this, once again, is nothing more than an illusion. It is true that, according to the European Policy Barometer carried out for the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation, Portuguese people even assert themselves as one of the greatest defenders of the European project, in all 27 member states. But it is also true that, as another study by Euroconsumers reveals, more than half of Portuguese people cannot identify the name of an MEP who represents it in European institutions. And a third of voters already say that does not intend to go to the polling stations a month from now – in elections that, historically, already have the highest abstention rates, compared to others.

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