The Netherlands has been a member state of the European Union since its start after the Second World War. The government of the Netherlands mentions that the country needs this strong European Union for three reasons: to gain safety in the country, to secure the values and interest of the Dutch citizens worldwide, and for economic benefits. These economic benefits are the reason that the European Union started in the first place. Since then, they expanded with many new and different policy areas, such as climate, health, security, migration, justice, and environment. The euro was also introduced as the central currency of the European Union. Furthermore, there was the removal of the border within the member states so European citizens could move freely, study, and work where they want. Even though the European Union is clearly an essential part for the citizens in the Netherlands, I notice that especially teenagers, do not really have knowledge about the European Union. Most of the time, they know what the European Union is, and that the Netherlands is a member state, but how it works precisely and why the Netherlands is a member state are questions they most of the time cannot answer. On the contrary, even my own friends and other people around me are not always aware of the European Union, no matter their educational background. How is it possible that in a country like the Netherlands, one of the first countries of the European Union and a country with an excellent educational system, lacks in educating the citizens about this important factor in their daily lives?
Research shows that knowledge about the European Union with teenagers in the Netherlands is low. This has multiple reasons. The first reason is that they do not know about what it means for them personally, so they are not so interested in it. The second reason is that when teenagers get social science in high school, it is mostly about citizenship in the Netherlands itself, democracy, and the rule of law. The third reason for this lack of knowledge is the tight school schedules, which only allow the students to have a few hours of social science. There is not enough time to talk about the European Union. Lastly, one of the most important reasons is that teachers do not have enough knowledge about the topic. This trend is a bit odd since the knowledge of the European Union, in general, has grown in the last years in the Netherlands. In 2015, only 49% of the Dutch citizens had knowledge about the European Union, while in 2019, this knowledge increased to 69%. Not only has the knowledge increased, but also the general opinion on the European Union is has a higher rate than before. Most of the Dutch citizens support the European Union, primarily because of the economic benefits. Nevertheless, it is necessary to mention that this does not mean that they are fully convinced about the benefits; they see the European Union as something that the Netherlands cannot go without.
To improve the general knowledge in the Netherlands about the European Union, I believe we need to start with teaching teenagers about it since they are the future. This will result in higher rates of Dutch citizens who know about the different institutions and maybe even increasing numbers of participants. There are a couple of things that need to be done to improve this. To start with the law from Minister Arie Slob in 2006. The minister of education made a law that obligated schools to spend more time on social science without clarifying it, such as the exact hours. This law should be expanded and made social science obligated with a fixed number of hours, so there is enough time to speak about the European Union. Further, teachers who feel like they lack enough knowledge about the topic should get pieces of training paid by the school for them. Moreover, the government can make social media accounts that give informal information about the European Union. This is useful since most