Before starting to speak about how euroscepticism is present in the European Union (EU) it is necessary to explain what it consists of. Euroscepticism is described as a negative attitude towards the European Union and European integration. It includes those who reject certain EU institutions and policies and pursue reform, as well as those who are adamantly opposed to EU membership and believe the EU is unchangeable.
Euroscepticism has been fueled by beliefs that integration threatens national sovereignty and the nation state, that the EU is elitist and lacks democratic legitimacy and accountability, that it is too bureaucratic and inefficient, and that it promotes high levels of migration, or that it is a capitalist organization that serves the corporate elite at the expense of the working class, driving austerity and privatization.
Now that the concept of Euroscepticism is clearer, let’s explain the cultural differences that can be found within the EU. Many aspects of life are influenced by cross-cultural similarities and differences. For decades, researchers in a variety of fields have been working on this issue, including cross-cultural management, which emphasizes the relationship between underlying assumptions such as values and beliefs, thinking/communicating, and results through individual or collective action. Cultural differences need to be taken into account in choosing appropriate management strategies in subsidiaries of multinational business organizations, in international marketing, in investor market entry decisions, in foreign exchange, and in other areas of international business.
In contemporary discussion, the principle of sovereignty plays an excessive role. No country is sovereign in the sense that it is free to do whatever it wants within its boundaries and is not influenced by outside forces. It is not self-evident that political institutions must be hierarchically ordered or that all decisions must be decided by a single final arbiter of law.
There is a case to be made for the coexistence of competing power centers, for engaging in decision-making, and for being willing to live with a decision that does not represent your state’s wishes. Being a member of a bigger corporation has its benefits. The state will then exert some power and influence over events occurring beyond its borders. There’s no reason why the conglomerate should be a massive sovereign state in and of itself. Instead of merely replicating the sovereign state in a modern superstate, the European Union provides the possibility of transcending it. Rather than being a source of critique, it could serve as a model and inspiration.
Talking about Europtescism in countries among Europe, we can take the example of Spain.
On a citizen level, Spaniards remain among the most supportive and least critical of the EU in Europe. At least on the surface, the thesis that Spain is primarily a pro-European country holds true. Help for the EU has historically been higher than the EU average.
However, we discover that, despite their support for more integration, Spanish political parties have differing views on the EU’s current situation and future trajectory; and, while Spaniards are less hostile to the EU than European averages, when perceptions are compared diachronically, more Spanish people express reservations about the EU nowadays.
Cultural Euroscepticism is widespread in the European Union and can be divided into many groups. However, in the United Kingdom, a type of exclusionary cultural Euroscepticism is especially intense. Since Britain is perceived to be culturally isolated from Europe, the European Union is opposed. This anti-establishment mentality is prevalent in scholarly literature, the media, and politics. To comprehend the inner workings and roots of this attitude, one must first comprehend the underlying causes of the strained relationship.