The Nobel Peace Prize-winning European Union does not receive such rave reviews from its own residents, according to a new Gallup polls.
“As the European Union struggles with a continuing economic crisis, residents’ life evaluation ratings show little or no improvement, and in some countries, they have worsened further,” Gallup writes.
The survey found that 37 percent of EU residents are “thriving” while the majority, 54 percent, are “struggling” and 10 percent are “suffering.”
Much like the United States, conditions within the European Union widely differ. Northern countries were much more likely to say they were “thriving” than southern countries, that include Greece and Spain — both fraught with state debt.
The EU’s impending Nobel Peace Prize has triggered debate as the region struggles with low growth and fiscal problems.
“The E.U. is getting a pat on the back for just showing up, or hanging on long enough to grab the prize,” Jennifer Rubin wrote in the Washington Post.
Rubin continued, “The Nobel Prize is for those who extend peace, promote human rights and do something for others. Where has the E.U. promoted peace? It’s flopped as an interlocutor in the Middle East. It’s come up empty in defanging the Iranian nuclear menace.”
European Union leaders will convene Oct. 18-19 to resolve differences on what is to be done for Greece and Spain amid fears of a global recession.
“The summit will highlight how much remains to be done,” JPMorgan of London economist Alex White told Bloomberg News.
Gallup’s survey shows that life ratings in Greece and Spain have deteriorated the most since 2008.
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