Netherlands residents see value in EU and don’t want a Nexit, but few feel “European”

https://nltimes.nl/2024/04/11/netherlands-residents-see-value-eu-dont-want-nexit-feel-european

by McFlyTheThird

30 comments

  2. Few feel european? Or do they see their Dutch identity above their European one?

    If they don’t feel European, what are they, African?

  3. >“There is virtually no ‘European feeling,’ and the democratic representation of citizens leaves much to be desired in their own eyes,” they said.
    >
    >There are significant differences between how voters for different parties feel about stayig in the EU, however. Not a single VOLT voter wants to leave the EU, while a majority of PVV voters (45 percent) favor a Nexit.

    PVV is the largest party by far in the Netherlands. A third of my fellow countrymen is now saying they will vote for Wilders.

    >Only a quarter are confident that the EU member states have governance without corruption and cronyism. And only 12 percent of Dutch feel like Europeans.

    I guess I’m part of that 12% then. But at the same time, I’m also not confident about governance without corruption and cronyism. a lot of Dutch people don’t trust the (corrupt) governments of some other EU Member States. I agree with that. For instance, I don’t trust Orban at all, and I don’t understand why the EU is doing virtually nothing to get rid of Orban, even though most people agree that he’s corrupt, anti-EU, and anti-democratic. I, and many of my fellow countrymen (from left to right, except the far-right that admires Orban), do not understand why we have to keep working and paying for Orban.

    But it’s not just Orban. One in four Members of the European Parliament are [involved](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2024/02/02/one-in-four-meps-are-implicated-in-judicial-cases-or-scandals_6486917_8.html) in scandals or judicial cases. That’s a quarter of the EP. That’s not good for creating trust and confidence.

    More about it [here](https://www.ioresearch.nl/actueel/de-europese-unie-burgers-en-lokale-bestuurders-een-verstandshuwelijk/).

  4. Stop asking the Moroccans and the Algerians if they feel European then!

  5. UK citizens didn’t feel ‘European’ so voted for Brexit.

    Then, they felt adrift.

    Now: the majority want to ‘belong’. See the benefit of being part of the EU.

    The remorse is great, however, getting the government to admit that?

    Slim chance.

    So, some other arrangement / treaty?

    Maybe.

  7. No one in Europe feels European since there is no cultural l, shared identity whatsoever. That doesn’t mean people in Europe feel connected to eachother or to Europe in general.

  8. Europe is a continent containing various different cultures and identities. Feeling European is just as lame as feeling Asian or feeling African. 

  9. Why are we allowing links to random sites that have no colofon, no disclaimer, no owners, nothing?

    For all we know they are building up a reputation and preparing to spew russian disinformation any moment.

    If a site refuses to explain who they are, don’t share them.

  10. There seems to be a difference in mindset between the people living in Europe ie “Europeans” and the ruling “elite” that live and work in the Brussels bubble. We are seeing disagreement over immigration policy, human rights definitions and abortion rights to name but a few issues currently brewing.

  11. From the poll itself: [https://www.ioresearch.nl/actueel/de-europese-unie-burgers-en-lokale-bestuurders-een-verstandshuwelijk/](https://www.ioresearch.nl/actueel/de-europese-unie-burgers-en-lokale-bestuurders-een-verstandshuwelijk/)

    (Google-translated, originally in Dutch)

    >”When we ask **what people mainly identify with** – their own hometown, region, province, country, Europe or another area – only 12 percent of citizens say they feel ‘European’ (among administrators this is slightly more: 26%) . The majority identify with the Netherlands or their place of residence.”

  12. From the Netherlands here, don’t want out of the EU, don’t feel European, I am Dutch.

  13. No european feeling is a bit of a joke, after brexit we definently felt anti european and we lost heavily in that

  15. Is that surprising? If I would go by the scale, I do feel most attached with my City, then region, the country, then continent And I suppose that majority of people have it this way (maybe not the city, if you Are not from the capital/big regional hub).

  16. They do not trust other european governments that is fair. However considering they are one of the culprits of undermining the EU by having their own governments support being a local tax heaven for long is a bit rich.

  17. I swear this is some mental illness. The EU is the best thing to happen to this continent.

  19. Dutchy here, and feeling European. I think the pros outweigh the cons by a lot, but maybe it has something to do with the fact I’m actually doing my thing all around Europe. My girlfriend is from another European country originally and we visit other EU countries at least 5 times a year. We also have plans to move to another part of the EU in a couple of years. I think it’s great there are no more border checks and we are all free to go wherever we want. I remember changing money every couple of hours and standing in line to cross a border. I can imagine that if you never go anywhere you really don’t care about all of this, but I worry that those people will be like a lot of US citizens one day and only care about their little bubble. As for not having a common culture, as someone commented, I just feel like that is a strength. I think it’s great we’re not all the same.Just like the US states really differ. They just had 250 years to get a common culture as opposed to our couple of decades since open borders. I think that Europe remembers going through H3ll and back because of two WW’s and this brought us together. It feels like a lot of people forgot this recently and we’ve gotten to comfortable and this leads to those Nexit feelings.

  20. I was taught in school to feel European, but at the end of the day, much of what the EU does is beyond the scope or comprehension of the average citizen. There is still a strong spirit of nationalism in the minds and hearts of many, especially since many decisions in the EU are made without direct input from the citizens of the countries. I doubt that many out there feel European in the sense of being part of the EU as an institution.

  22. Feel like it’s pretty normal to identify with your region/province first, country second, and continent third, ain’t it?

    And the EU is a political trade agreement, not something the average citizen will base their identity on.

  23. We gave the EU countries the best gift.. shown how important it is to stay in the EU.

    Also I would say I don’t know what it is to “feel European” maybe being a fairly large island (by Europe standards) means we naturally developed our own identity wholly separate from the mainland.

  25. Makes sense.

    We are a bunch of misfits that decides to band together to avoid killing each other again for the nth time, to better travel to vacatiom places and to make more out of individual state capability.

    I feel European because I believe that this Is a right course of action, but my country identity Is still the primary identification factor.

  26. Covid, the Russian invasion, Brexit and current border controls regarding immigration as well as energy/ financial crisis have really given the Union a hit. Values that the states stand in for together, coorperations that build trust and alliance as well as simple good news regarding the cooperation is certainly what is needed now. People need to feel what its like to be European again, not only for the month of Euros this Summer but also in the time after!

  27. This article doesn’t speak for everyone, definitely not for me anyway. As a Dutchman I’ve always felt European. Maybe it’s different for people who are not as well travelled. Plenty of love for the EU in the Netherlands 🇪🇺❤️

  28. Maybe these dutch should travel a little bit more? Complete navelgazing nonsense take

  29. Well why would they? As a Swede, in what way should I feel a European connection with the Dictatorship in Turkey, or the Russian puppet in Orban, or the extreme homophobia in Poland.

    I see the value in EU and support it 100%, I want a strong EU and strong Europe and will always back that. However I do not feel European when half of the continent is not only entirely different culturally and by religion, but just also batshit crazy.

  30. Well, if you ask people in Italy what they feel like, first they would mention their city, then their region, then their country. A European federation would just be another level on top.

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