A poll conducted by the European Council on Foreign Relations showed that the Portuguese are among the first three European peoples to choose Angela Merkel for the position of “President” of Europe.
The European Council on Foreign Relations, an international think tank founded in 2007 and based in London, has conducted a series of opinion polls on “what Europeans expect after the elections in Germany” based on the end of what it called “Merkelley”. Angela Merkel, 67, from the position of chancellor who was first elected in November 2005.
One of the polls analyzed shows that the majority of people questioned, the Dutch (58%), the Spaniards (57%) and the Portuguese (52%), “would vote for Angela Merkel rather than Emmanuel Macron” for “president” from Europe.
The poll was conducted in 12 European countries, and in terms of preferences between Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, Germans appear in sixth place.
“One of the surprises in the data presented has to do with the positive outlook regarding German leadership in matters such as the economy and finance. “It was Merkel,” said Daniela Schwarzer, director of Europe and Asia at the Open Society Foundation, who analyzed the matter during the debate that took place today.
In this sense, Schwarzer noted that ten years ago Germany imposed economic decisions, along with the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which serve “Berlin’s own interests” and which have been “severely criticized” in particular by southern European countries.
Germany attempted to “defend” the eurozone model and control national policies through “austerity” in both countries affected by the economic and financial crisis.
“For this reason, this data shows that the majority of Europeans are surprising (…) so we have to realize that the world has changed in the meantime,” said Daniela Schwarzer, emphasizing that the international presence of the People’s Republic of China currently has a crucial role.
For the expert, Europeans demonstrate an awareness of Europe’s role in the world, from an economic and financial point of view in comparison with other powers.
Now, the future will depend on the makeup of the (future) German government. The CDU has been very cautious about changes in the Eurozone, on issues related to risk, financial solidarity or the use of financial instruments as we have seen with the Recovery Fund. He emphasized that the Social Democratic Party’s Social Democrats were not entirely different, but that there were differences in thought.
Regarding the fundamental differences between the CDU and the SPD, Daniela Schwarzer highlighted fiscal policy, noting that this is an issue in which Germany and France can find rapprochement, in particular, but that everything will depend on the French presidential election and the composition of the future German government.
Another research concerns Europeans’ confidence in defending the economic interests of the European Union, protecting rights, freedoms, guarantees and diplomatic relations.
Thus, 36% of all respondents in 12 European countries said they were confident regarding Germany in matters such as economics and finance. 35% trust Berlin to stand up for democracy and human rights. 25% in relations with the United States. 20% in relations with Russia and 17% in relations with the People’s Republic of China.
In particular, Hungary is the most trusted country in Germany in terms of its ability to manage relations with the great world powers.
The Germans ranked third and the Portuguese as the eighth country on the list in terms of Berlin’s ability to manage relations with the United States, Russia and the People’s Republic of China.
The study was presented by Piotr Boras, a university student from the European Council on Foreign Relations in Warsaw, who, referring to the end of the “Mickel era” and the future of Germany, after the September 26 elections, said that the country’s “golden age” was “in the past” and that Germans should demonstrate the ability to reinvent themselves.
What we show in our study is the German paradox. When you look back, Germany sees an era of great success with Angela Merkel, but this model is politically unsustainable. Germany has to reinvent itself in many ways From the fields. We can think of a better future, in the European Union and also in Germany, and this is in the hands of the Germans. Come out of the shadows of the glorious past”, said Piotr Boras.
The university student from Warsaw referred to the German-Russian energy agreement (Nord Stream 2) and defense policy especially regarding the military mission in Afghanistan (in which 150,000 German soldiers participated) as “disastrous”. “Hesitating” regarding climate policies and the aging German population.
However, he highlighted Angela Merkel’s ability to “resolve conflicts and avoid crises”.
