For the most part, the EU’s political class has gone to great lengths to avoid consulting their electorates on plans for closer European integration.

Now, as Open Europe’s Mats Persson reports for the Daily Telegraph, a new poll has taken a look at what the voters think in France, Italy, the UK, Scandinavia and Germany. That the Brits are skeptical is not exactly news. Much more interesting, as Persson realizes, is what the Germans have to say:

Regarding the particular question which commentators have focused on, respondents were asked whether they supported “’turning the EU into a fully integrated ‘United States of Europe’, with a central European treasury that strictly enforces common rules on national budgets and government spending for individual countries”. 35% of Germans answered in favour (as did 38% of French and 63% of Italians).
It’s easy to get excited about this, but it is important to consider a number of factors. First, German voters are actually split right down the middle on the question, with 32% saying they opposed the idea. Secondly, the question will have had different connotations in Germany, where federalism means a structure with clearly defined powers across all levels of government, with a system of checks and balances. In Britain, it simply connotes more EU centralisation. Thirdly, and most importantly, the question itself is phrased in such a way that implies greater enforcement of budgetary discipline.
It’s hardly surprising that German voters would support this, given the widely held perception there that what “profligate” eurozone members need is more budget discipline (German taxpayers’ cash is on the line, remember).
Unsurprisingly, as soon as the focus switches from more budget oversight and discipline to more cash, Germans’ support for further integration plummets, which YouGov-Cambridge also concedes. For example:
– In a separate question, which made no reference to strict penalties” or “enforcement” 68% of Germans said they believed “tax rates and national budgets” should be controlled nationally
– 53% think that it’s “wrong” for Germany to spend money to save the euro
– 40% think Eurobonds would be a “bad thing” for Germany, and only 17% think they would be a “good thing”
– 51% want Greece to leave the euro, which per definition is integration in reverse
In other words, Germans – and voters in most other EU countries for that matter – tend to be supportive of EU integration where this conforms to their own image, but they otherwise oppose it. This also means that Germans still remain opposed to the form of eurozone integration that to many obersvers really counts at the moment – more cash going from north to south.

There’s a reason why Mrs. Merkel is treading carefully…