EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE FOR EU DEMOCRACY

Author : Heather Grabbe, Director of the Open Society European Policy Institute.

Text has been edited

The European Union’s dwindling democratic legitimacy is an acute political challenge. Trust in EU institutions is declining even in countries where the union once had high levels of support. Populist parties are rising and turning against the EU. To restore its legitimacy, the EU needs to respond to public apathy and anger with emotional intelligence and to offer solutions that feel relevant to people outside the Brussels bubble.