Interest in EU integration drops because of inefficient communication, expert

The dropping interest of society in European integration proves the lack of efficient communication about the benefits of integration. This is the opinion of Elena Prohnitchi, expert of the Association for Participatory Democracy. According to her, the data revealed by the last Public Opinion Barometer proves that this drop isn’t temporary, but an accomplished fact, Info-Prim Neo reports. Elena Prohnitchi said that the interest might continue to drop if no measures are taken and no efficient communication oriented towards the people is promoted, because the people don’t see the benefits. The liberalization of the visa regime is regarded as a distant future. The expert remarked that another cause of the drop in interest for EU integration is PSD’s and PCRM’s intense advocacy of joining the Customs Union. The two parties had a strong campaign of collecting signatures for holding the referendum. Their representatives knocked from door to door and talked to the people, explaining the benefits of joining the Customs Union. Another explanation might be related to the crisis in the European Union, which is so mediatized. People hear about it on TV and from the proponents of the Eurasian Customs Union, who overplay the effects of the crisis in Europe. One more factor is the negative association of the idea of EU integration with the political scandals within the Alliance for European Integration, which are so frequent and highlight problems and differences. According to the Public Opinion Barometer, in case of a referendum, 60% of respondents would not know what to choose between joining the European Union or the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Union. 22.5% would opt for the latter and 16.1% for the former. 2.2% said they would not participate in the referendum. According to the survey published in May 2012, 35% opted for joining the EU.