Within this final report of the project 'Building Bridges Between National Perspectives on the European Union' the authors are looking at the national perspectives on the European Union. It contais contributions from across the EU and sheds light on Member States’ motivations to participate in the EU and views on its future. Clingendael expert Adriaan Schout Adriaan focuses on the Dutch perspective.
Each chapter follows the same structure answering five questions: 'What does your country hope to gain from its membership to the European Union?', 'Do you think that the European Union appears to be a clear project in your country?' 'If not, what are the main reasons?', 'Which degree of integration seems adequate to the position and ambitions of your country both politically and economically?', 'According to you, how could we strengthen the idea of belonging to a common European public sphere among your national citizens?', and 'Which policies would you deem essential to conduct at the EU level in order to better legitimise the European project?'. It enables an easier comparative reading. The papers aim to provide a solid analysis on each of the 28 Member States in a way that is accessible to the wider public.
The project is coordinated by the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri) with three major partners: the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), Real Instituto Elcano and EUROPEUM-European Institute for European Policy.
