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Strategies & Market Trends : Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: shades who wrote (50620)	5/5/2006 6:38:53 AM
From: shades	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116555

EU Study Shows Growing Dissatisfaction With EU (napolean couldn't do it - is the EURO a better bet than the dollar?) BRUSSELS (Dow Jones)--Fewer than half of Europeans believe membership in the European Union is "a good thing," a study published Friday by the European Commission shows. Only 49% of those polled in the 25 E.U. members thought Europe was a good thing, down from 56% in the autumn of 2004. The figure is the second-lowest recorded in ten years. Only 39% of Europeans polled consider that "things are going in the right direction." EU Study Shows Growing Dissatisfaction With EU -2- The results come after a bruising year marked by divisions over a proposed E.U. constitution. Both France and the Netherlands rejected the constitution in referenda, with voters showing anger about plans that a more federalized Europe would threaten their cherished social welfare states. In particular, tension was visible in Western Europe about competition not only from China and India, but from the 10 new, mostly former Communist countries of Eastern Europe, that joined the E.U. in 2004. EU Study Shows Growing Dissatisfaction With EU -3- Amid these tensions, the Commission said the poll showed Europeans to be optimistic, and it noted that the E.U. has a positive "image," perceived as democratic (67%), modern (67%) and protective (54%). "There is a feeling of solidarity and a need for common solutions. The E.U. is associated with security: from social security, security against terrorism and crime, security in health, living and environmental conditions to job security," said Vice-President of the European Commission, Margot Wallstrom, responsible for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy. At the same time, the Commission acknowledged the criticisms expressed in the poll. It noted that close to one in two respondents considers the E.U. to be technocratic (49%) and inefficient (43%). In addition, the proposed constitution garnered only 25% support. EU Study Shows Growing Dissatisfaction With EU -4- The poll underlined tensions over rising global competition in Europe. In the E.U., 47% regard globalization as a threat to their jobs. In France, that figure rose to 72%. However, Danes, with their flexible labor market, held the opposite view. Some 77% saw globalization as an opportunity. One E.U. official in private noted strong anti-E.U. feelings had spread from the U.K. to previously pro-E.U. countries such as Finland and Austria. A quarter of Finns said the E.U. was "a bad thing." The poll was taken between Feb. 20 and March 24. It questioned 24,750 E.U. citizens aged 15 and above and was followed by group discussions with target groups. -By William Echikson, Dow Jones Newswires;32-2-741-1480; william.echikson@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 05, 2006 06:33 ET (10:33 GMT)