Intergration among Unequals. Country- and Layer-specific Attitudes Towards the EU and Its Goals

The process of European integration has stalled after a period of considerable success. Not only is the finality of the EU controversial, but agreement on smaller reforms or individual regulations is increasingly difficult. The heterogeneity of the EU extends beyond the differences in geography and economic structure in the narrower sense; the member countries differ in their economic models, in their forms of welfare capitalism, in growth drivers, in social partner relationships and in forms of corporate governance. The Eurobarometer surveys show that the heterogeneity goes far beyond this: the population of the individual countries has different value hierarchies and views of problems, and different strata of the population feel differently affected by globalisation and integration. There is not only a pronounced northwest-southeast divide, but also socio-professional and sociological differences: the academically educated group has a positive attitude toward the EU, while the unemployed and people with financial problems are distanced. Consequently, the ongoing quarrels between governments, including deliberate breaches of regulations and threats of resignation, are likely to be caused less by their power politics and profiling addiction than by the population's differing values, problems and priorities.