German, Greek Presidents Note Increase of Euroscepticism in Some Parts of EU

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his Greek counterpart Prokopis Pavlopoulos said in a joint article published on Thursday that they had seen a shift to nationalism and a growth of Euroscepticism in some areas of the European Union.

"Authoritarian thinking, which we thought we had overcome after the collapse of totalitarianism, has come back to the surface again and is, unfortunately, becoming a source of fascination for many people. The retreat to nationalism and Euroskepticism is on the rise in many quarters of the European Union," the two presidents said in an op-ed piece published in the newspaper Kathimerini.

The presidents noted that many people no longer see the European Union as a guarantor of peace and human rights, prosperity and social justice.

"In the world of today, we are very much in need – urgently – of this united Europe, more than in the past," Steinmeier and Pavlopoulos added.

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They also noted that such "disparate" threats as ideologically motivated terrorism and climate change will not stop at state borders, therefore it is necessary to protect and, where possible, to strengthen Europe.

For this, the European Union needs efficient decision-making mechanisms and strong instruments to implement their decisions, the two presidents concluded.