The European project will be put in great danger if the number of eurospectics and populists will increase in the European Parliament after the European elections next year, declared Iuliu Winkler MEP for the Romanian News Agency- Agerpres. 

“Of course, currently the European Parliament doesn’t have the same powers as a national parliament, nor does the European Commission work like a national government. (…) But, today having as a background the disappointment generated by the economic crisis, and high rate of unemployment especially among young people, there are citizens who are looking for someone to blame for all these problems. If the EU is accused of this situation and the populists instigate their national leaders to focus only on national projects during the campaign for the European elections, in a way in which presents to the electorate only solutions against the EU, then we are in great danger. In Romania we have nationalistic parties along with anti-system parties and these types of parties are through the whole of Europe. A good result for these parties in the European elections will represent a deadly danger for the European common project”, considers Iuliu Winkler.

In his opinion, the campaign in Romania for European elections should and could be a great opportunity for a real debate regarding the European rules and to explain that our country is able to take its real place as the 7th Member State in the EU in terms of population and territory.

“We should take our place if it is possible as a key political influence in Brussels and Strasbourg, and, of course, in terms of a contribution in the European debate. I think that it is an important and achievable objective. We only need the political will to inject these topics into the national debate and the electoral campaign”, underlines Winkler. He also expressed his regret regarding the fact that Eurostat research, but also national surveys, show that the populist and anti-European discourse brings votes.

At the same time, Winkler disagrees with the politicians who resort to such a populist discourse, because a responsible politician has to seriously consider the ideas transmitted in his speech.

“We are looking to fix the blame for this crisis. Unfortunately, in many European countries the blame for this economic and social crisis centers around the same social categories as was 60 years before. Today, foreigners represent one of the greatest dangers (…) The next elections for the European Parliament will be a crucial moment for Europe, a decisive moment in the process of the EU’s construction. We shall have to decide what kind of Europe we need, a Europe as a free market or a Federal Europe”, added the MEP.

He is convinced that the EU has to become a federal union if Europe wants to be successful on the global stage and in order to generate prosperity for its citizens.