„The Brighter Side of Europe” / Piotr Kaczyński

PART FIVE
European
Optimism
Europe used to be a continent of confidence
and optimism. Only two decades ago the
European way of life was one that sparked
envy in other corners of the world.
T
he 2008 economic crisis only strengthened the feeling that the European
(as opposed to the so-called “Anglo-Saxon” light-touch)
approach to regulating financial markets was the correct model
to follow. Yet somewhere between the peak of the European social model
of the early 1990s and the ongoing crisis in the Eurozone, European optimism
and confidence largely evaporated.
The European Union’s collective economy is still the largest in the world.
“Still” is the key word. Timing is not on EU’s side as the rise of Asian economies
challenges European global leadership in almost every field, with the
only likely exception being winter sports. The ongoing European debate
can be described as “how much time do we still have before the Chinese
overtake us?”. It came as some relief therefore to discover that the quality
of teaching at Chinese universities is relatively low due to the constant influx
of new students (there are more students in China then in the entire
EU) and that this should extend the quality of European universities over
Chinese universities for another ten to fifteen years.
Yet the feeling of pessimism and perpetual crisis persist. What some describe
as a culture of fear in Europe translates into a few direct problems,
which outwardly manifest themselves in increased support for extremist
and populist views. The population at large is fearful of the economic situation
(including rising unemployment, instability and unpredictability of the
current situation, and the crisis in the Eurozone) and is disenchanted with
5
The Schuman Parade
in Warsaw
national and European leadership. Fears are also fuelled by changing demographics
in many regions, especially rising immigration. Many European
intellectuals’ point their fingers directly at Europeans’ alleged Islamophobia,
while the term “Eurabia” has been created to frighten the public about the
influx of new migrants.
This negativity subsequently manifests itself in public unrest or higher support
for extremist parties and rising populism among the mainstream European
political classes. The European social model – praised and developed
for years – is now seriously challenged and requires major reform. Such reform
tends to be deeply unpopular, as it often entails cutting social benefits.
Europeans, for instance, are now being told to work longer hours, take fewer
holidays and retire at a later age. In return for cutting social costs, however,
there is no guarantee of a job or a decent wage. Many Europeans at least partially
blame the situation on the EU. This trend is particularly heightened
in economically depressed states like Greece or Ireland and in states with
a high ratio of immigrants such as Austria.
This pessimistic mood, however strong it may be, is not prevalent in each
European state. One nation (but not the only one) stands out considerably.
While many Europeans are fearful and pessimistic about the future, most
Poles are more optimistic and at times even enthusiastic about Europe and
the trends in their own country. Three quarters of Poles are positive about
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