Czech Republic: a weakening of the Western democratic model?

Some hostility towards the European Union has been setting in. A recent survey suggests that only 37% of Czechs trust the EU, whereas five years ago, this figure was between 50 – 60%. Yes, it's true that we cannot really trust survey percentages. On the other hand, such change cannot be neglected either. Moreover, it is very easy to observe the development of this data on the graphs from recent years as well as in the attitude of the Czech population towards the European Union.

Potential Czexit ?

The European Union represents the Western model - it can be seen as a platform linking Western, Eastern and Central countries to each other. The Czech Republic forms a bridge with the Western world through numerous pacts, agreements, treaties, etc. Although it seems obvious that with the departure of the Czech Republic from the European Union the country would lose all the advantages of its membership in the EU in many areas, as well as its good relations with Western Europe, the Czech nation still tends to demand the "Czexit". Why?
There are many reasons which explain this recent phenomenon. Firstly, there is a direct accusation of the European Union: for example, we are talking about the euro zone debt crisis. It is, however, very likely that the major problems are related not so much to the shortcomings of the European Union, but their origin is rather in the mentality of a part of the Czech population.

Moreover, this part of the Czech citizens has been growing rapidly, especially in recent months with the approach of the parliamentary elections, raising the issue of remaining in the EU, which was one of the most frequent themes of political parties’ programs.
But why is it so? The most visible culprits are the populist politicians who have accused the European Union of being responsible for the migration crisis.
Whether the quotas are the ideal solution or not is another question. On the other hand, it is undeniable that the populist politicians have abused the situation to find a culprit and have enjoyed the trust of voters.

Euroscepticism maintained by politicians

The rise of Euroscepticism in the Czech Republic began during the second half of the presidential term of President Václav Klaus, who held the position between the years 2003 and 2013. He did not agree with the new proposals and European pacts and his policy is therefore at the origin of the initial euro-skepticism. After the beginning of the migration crisis, the Czech Republic has experienced a rapid rise in the number of populists following this direction. The funny thing is that when you look at the statistics, especially at the financial statistics of the Czech Republic in the European Union, you can clearly see that it has been collecting a lot more money from the European budget than it has been spending, notably thanks to endowments.

The benefactor role of the European Union ignored

Thus, the Czech government becomes more and more critical about the innovations of the European Union. If we add the non-compliance with the migration quotas and the arrogant and contemptuous attitude of our politicians, we can be grateful that the European Union has not sanctioned us yet. What is paradoxical is the strict refusal of the migrant quotas. To this day the Czech Republic has only accepted 12 migrants and has encouraged the migration of some of these towards the West because of the more favorable economic conditions in the countries like Germany, France or the United Kingdom. In addition, the majority of Czechs tend to forget all the advantages that our membership in the European Union offers, such as the free circulation of goods and people ensuring the attractiveness of the country in economic and touristic terms, bringing prosperity to the State, the great endowments, etc. Unfortunately, the populists have managed to divert the situation and to make people forget all the good things that the EU offers. They have also managed to exploit small disadvantages to win votes. It can therefore be said that the Czech Republic is experiencing a decline in the Western model, and particularly in the values supported by the European Union.

Finally, I would like to point out that the party "Freedom and direct democracy" – the anti-European and anti-migrant party, obtained only 10% of votes in the parliamentary elections.