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The concept of "Euroscepticism" barely exists in Greece and membership
of the European Union is a powerful election tool [EPA]
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Many Europeans find it difficult to sum up much enthusiasm for the European Union these days.
At least in the Western part of the continent, moves towards greater integration have recently been met by electorates with indifference, or even hostility.
But, living in Greece, I'm often struck by how different attitudes are on this side of Europe.
The concept of "Euroscepticism" barely exists in Greece; by almost universal consensus, EU membership has brought this country greater security, and a higher international profile. Not to mention, plenty of largesse from Brussels.
The most recent Eurobarometer survey, which monitoring public opinion in the union, shows that 65 per cent of Greeks trust the EU, (whereas only 25 per cent of people in the United Kingdom feel the same way).
The only Greek politicians who campaign on a platform of hostility towards the EU belong to the Communist Party, and they have no realistic chance of taking power.
The same survey shows that 80 per cent of Greeks believe their country has benefited from membership of the EU, (as opposed to 43 per cent of people in the UK).
Other countries in the region which are in the EU have a similar perspective.
Messianic fervour
The people of Slovenia elected a new government last weekend, in polls that were barely noticed by the outside world.
These days Slovenia is a prosperous member of the EU, and the first former-communist country to join the Eurozone.
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Tadic has pursued his vision of EU membership with almost messianic fervour [AFP]
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It's easy to forget that as recently as 1991 it fought a brief war to extricate itself from a disintegrating Yugoslavia.
Not surprisingly opinion polls show that Slovenians are consistently enthusiastic about the EU.
Perhaps most significantly, all those countries in southeastern Europe which are not yet in the EU are, without a single exception, desperate to join.
In Serbia, a newly invigorated Boris Tadic, the country's president, pursues his vision of EU membership with almost messianic fervour.
Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia, Albania, and Kosovo (disputes about its status notwithstanding), all cling to the dream of eventually joining the EU, no matter how unrealistic that may be in the short-term.
Reforming role
This should give all those jaded western Europeans food for thought.
A club which has such a magnetic pull on aspiring members must have something going for it.
This brings me on to one of the EU's greatest achievements, and one which is too often overlooked.
This is that the very prospect of membership has proven to be a powerful incentive for countries to institute reforms which have strengthened democracy and the rule of law.
To give just one example, if Serbia and Croatia did not hope to one day join the EU, would they ever have handed over (albeit grudgingly) the vast majority of war crimes suspects to the international tribunal in the Hague?
Without that incentive, maybe Radovan Karadzic would still be at large, and the prospects of Ratko Mladic ever being caught would be greatly diminished.
Turkey disillusionment
A final thought on the most problematic, and important, of all aspiring members, Turkey.
There isn't space in this coloumn to go into the pros and cons of admitting Turkey to the EU; I'll save that for another day.
But one thing seems clear.
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| The AK Party now seems more interested in placating nationalists at home (GALLO/GETTY) |
The seriousness with which the AK Party government has pursued political and economic reforms, and thus strengthened Turkish democracy, has been directly proportional to how realistic it believes the chances are of it ever being admitted to the club.
In its early days, the AK Party abolished the death penalty, limited the army's power, and gave women more rights.
In 2005, the EU responded by opening formal membership talks. Since then, much has gone wrong.
France, Germany and Austria have made it clear that they will never accept Turkey in the EU.
It's difficult to untangle cause and effect, but it's also not surprising, in the face of European hostility, that the momentum for reform in Ankara has dried up.
After all, why should Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country's prime minister, take political risks to make Turkey more democratic when it is clear that Europe will eventually shun him anyway?
Today, the AK Party seems more interested in placating nationalist feeling at home than in winning over skeptical Europeans.
This, ironically, only goes to confirm the widespread European conviction that Turkey should never be allowed to join the EU.
It's a negative, self-perpetuating circle, and it seems that a historic window of opportunity is fast-closing.
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