Not quite, Guy! Europhile MEP mocked over EU tweet - 'One day you'll get it'
GUY VERHOFSTADT has been mocked after claiming unity within the bloc remains strong across all 27 member states.
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The Belgian MEP and outspoken Europhile shared a survey which showed which countries were aligned the most with European unity. In the graph, Spain and Poland were shown to be at the top of the polls in terms of whether they identify as European or not. Commenting on the figures, Mr Verhofstadt said on Twitter all "nationalists" had now been proven wrong due to the findings.
He said: "EU identity is strong, most of all in Flag of Poland & Flag of Spain.
"Poll again proves nationalists wrong: EU is not only our past but our common future and people across the EU."
However, many took to Twitter to point out the difference between European identity and the bloc itself.
One person said: "Still mixing up EU and European, Guy?
"One day you might get it. Regards from a European Brexiteer."
A second person also questioned why the distinction between European identity and the EU had not been made by some who voted in the poll.
They said: "If I was asked this question I would answer yes because it is self-evidently true that I am European.
"This has nothing to do with the EU.
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"I’m surprised that more than 20% of EU citizens don’t see themselves as European."
Another said: "A true European value his freedom and sovereignty, therefore identifying as European should mean rejecting the European Union."
A fourth said: "It doesn’t say ‘EU identity’ Guy, it says ‘European’.
"I identify as European and voted for Brexit."
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Although a europhile, the MEP has also been an outspoken critic of how the bloc has acted over several issues.
Indeed, the MEP has hit out at the EU's poor vaccination programme, which has only ramped up in recent weeks.
While the UK surge ahead with its own vaccination programme at the beginning of the year, the EU struggled due to supply issues and clashes with AstraZeneca.
To further push forward with the bloc's vaccine rate, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen approved a further contract with Pfizer for 900 million doses of the drug this week.
In response, however, Mr Verhofstadt said: "EU is making up Down pointing backhand index for its lousy start in handling Covid-vaccination but has yet to draw the political conclusions.
"We need a real European Health Union, able to tackle the next crisis better from day 1."
Due to the UK's rapid vaccine rate, it is expected Boris Johnson will announce a successful transition stage to the final step of the country's roadmap.