Unfortunately, however, the polls suggest that voting decisions are too often guided by trivialities and not by a level-headed assessment of the bigger picture. It’s crucial that we have a clear idea of what’s at stake on Sunday.
First and foremost, we must highlight the major issues of peace and international relations, which seem more important today than they did just a few years ago. In fact, it’s probably not worth debating with anyone who fails to recognize the EU’s achievements in this respect. But we must also consider how crucial a functioning EU is for the economy, and thus for the prosperity of every single country in the union.
Some time ago, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy calculated that the single market alone makes the EU countries 643 billion euros richer every year. And Germany is by no means the “paymaster” of the EU, as is so often claimed. True, Berlin does send more money to Brussels than other governments, but hardly any other country benefits as much from free trade in Europe as we do. More than half of German exports go to the single market — which, according to the German government, contributes a good 1,000 euros a year to our country’s per capita income. The total value created for the German economy thus amounts to nearly 70 billion euros. This shouldn’t be forgotten, especially in a country where one in four jobs depends on exports.