The fact that there is a non-unified view means that we spend our time focusing on the problems, the inconsistencies, and we have an easy way to compare one country's flaws with what works less badly or better in other countries.

The Mafia problem is well known throughout Europe; it crops up in discussions about CAP (when new frauds come out of Italy), the euro (when Italy was put in the "club Med" category by the Germans for their habit to fudge their budgets) and with the whole tangentepoli scandals of the 90s, with andreotti, Craxi and others accused of links with the Mafia.

But yes, even Europeans know not enough about other Europeans

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes