Europeans have an increasingly ethnic, closed and xenophobic vision of their own identity. This is the verdict from the report “Welcome to Barbieland”, published by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECF) and the European Cultural Foundation (ECF), which alerts the Union to a change of perspective capable of undermining the principles of inclusion and equality that are the basis of the block.
Just as Barbie in Greta Gerwig’s film abandons the utopian vision of a pink and perfect world, the study’s author Pawel Zerka, a senior fellow at Ecfr, tries to shake up the promoters of Europeanism. “In recent weeks, Mario Draghi has dominated the conversation in Brussels by drawing attention to the need to relaunch the European economy, which is losing its competitive edge. But if the economy is the engine of the EU, then the ‘European sentiment’ should be recognized as its fuel. And what is happening to European sentiment lately requires a lot of attention. Otherwise, we risk running out of fuel, or running on dirty fuel.”
Great challenge for the European project
The report highlights three main “blind spots” within the European Union: the predominance of “whiteness” in EU politics, limited youth engagement, and a faint pro-Europeanism in Central and Eastern Europe. The combination of these factors could erode or profoundly alter the sense of European belonging.
The paper highlights that despite a high turnout in the 2024 European Parliament elections and the support of a majority of national governments for the EU, the number of people who feel “excluded”, “disillusioned” or “disinterested” is growing. This is particularly true for people of colour, Muslims and people from Central and Eastern Europe, but also for young people who see the EU as “too white”, “too Western” or “too boomer-oriented”.
The report also notes that xenophobic rhetoric has increased significantly since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, with many Muslims feeling alienated by European governments’ support for Israel. Electoral victories of far-right parties in countries such as France, Italy, Belgium, Austria and Hungary, as well as their successes in Germany and the Netherlands, have spurred a significant increase in anti-immigration discourse. The report mentions the use of anti-Muslim stereotypes by parties such as the AfD and Matteo Salvini’s League. This situation would contribute to the progressive normalization of a “xenophobic vision” in public discourse.
A lack of representation
Zerka also highlighted the “limited diversity within the European institutions”, with only 3 percent of MEPs coming from racial and ethnic minorities, compared to 10 percent of the EU population. Zerka warned of declining pro-European enthusiasm in Central and Eastern Europe, noting that in seven of the region’s 11 countries, voter turnout fell below 40 percent.
According to the ECFR senior fellow, this trend is a symptom of growing frustration, especially among young people, who are generally more pro-European and tolerant than older generations, and feel poorly represented by traditional political forces, often considered “boomer parties”. This perception of “voicelessness” could push young people to disengage or even distance themselves from the European Union.
