What Europe are we having tomorrow?

Every five years, the European Union engages in a conscious exercise. The European Parliament's elections allow us to look at ourselves in the mirror and analyze the passage of time. But the May 23rd-26th elections are special: they will be the first since the refugee crisis, the Brex referendum and the election of US Trump president.

The European Parliament elections are usually called “second-hand selection”. The low voter turnout, which has steadily declined since the first elections in 1979, shows that Europeans do not pay much attention to them.

Three months before this year's elections, only 33 percent of European citizens knew they would be held at the end of this month, and only 5 percent knew the exact dates. A month ago, only 26 percent of Germans recognised their countrymen, Manfred Weber, the European People's Party's candidate for the European Commission presidency.

Meanwhile, the latest Eurobarometer survey shows that nearly 7 in 10 Europeans, excluding the British, believe their country has benefited

From integration. However, a kind of political turmoil has affected all of Europe, and all levels of government.

The problem is particularly pronounced in the countries that joined the EU in this century. Southeast Europeans tend to believe less than Western Europeans. So it's not surprising that they appear at these types of voting in even smaller numbers.

institutional discontent and low turnout are also common among young Europeans in general, even though they are more pro-European than average. Moreover, for generations who looked forward to the evolution of the European project, during the second half of the 20th century, the honeymoon is over.

Bulgarian polytologist Ivan Krastev has argued that instead of seeing the “end of history” that Francis Fuquiama preached since 1989, we seem to have reached the end of most people's interest in history.

As Krastev said, along with Mark Leonard and Susie Danizon “The EU was created by societies that were afraid of their past. Europeans are now afraid of the future”.

Although emphasis on the role of European integration remains essential, as guarantee of peace after World War II, the EU needs additional resources

Her legitimacy. Sadly, the challenges of recent years, related to economy and migration, well-managed and badly managed by the EU and member states had the opposite effect.

This gave space to nationalist-populist parties to gain popular support, promising to face current and future challenges, such as the growing demographic crisis, with the strategy of an idealised past, as national isolation.

But Brex chaos sent the powerful message, that the winds outside the EU are very freezing. The United Kingdom is shaking right now, and it just opened the door. Geographical dynamics, close economic ties, and the relatively small economic burden of European countries are all inevitable realities.

European citizens have taken this into account, and it is no wonder that nationalist-populist parties are no longer talking about getting their country out of the EU. These parties do not agree on many issues, but have a joint legalisation of xenophobia against immigration.

The right of asylum is internationally recognised, and migration in general can help our demographic decline. Restriction to uncontrolled migration is reasonable; but not turning back on neighbours.

However, the issue that most concerns Europeans today is not immigration but the economy. One of the biggest challenges today is inequality, which has increased in almost all OECD countries.

Meanwhile, the north-south European divide has expanded as a consequence of the economic crisis. Although member states cannot avoid their responsibility, European institutions must do more to promote cohesion through a new social contract, which must address everything, from problems in the technology-oriented labour market to environmental sustainability.

Paradoxically, the fact is that even if faith in the The EU has been deeply shocked, European integration has continued without letup over the past decade. Of course, he has a long road ahead. But the EU has not previously had more effective tools to address the economic and financial challenges that could arise.

Pro-partys The EU, should create a transformational framework for the future. Like Austrian writer Stefan Cvaig, we can sometimes enjoy homesickness for yesterday's “world. But just like Craig, we have to stay engaged in future projects, like a peaceful and integrated Europe, which he didn't live to see.

The best reputation for the apostles of the unification of Europe would be to avoid paralyzing from homesickness and commitment to the construction of tomorrow's Europe.

“Project Syndicate” World.al