Vladislav B. Sotirovi

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The European Union and The European Identity

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Assoc. Prof. Vladislav B. Sotirovi

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, Ph.D.

European Humanities University – International & Vilnius University

(vsotirovic@delijeonline.com;vsotirovic@serbiancafe.com; http://www.freewebs.com/ovsiste)

The European Union and The European Identity

Abstract:

The paper deals with relations between on the one hand the supporters of the pan-European identity, which has to take the place of the particular national ones, and on the other hand the proponents of maintaining specific national identities as the top priority within the European Union (EU). Certainly, the European Union continues toexpand its borders, individual national currencies are becoming unified into the common EU currency – Euro (€), and the political and economic climates are gravitating towards pan-continental unification. However, what does this unification process mean in termsof identity? The crucial question is: will the success of the EU rest solely in economic and political interdependence or will a strong pan-European identity emerge in a fashionsimilar to what we see in the United States, Australia, France, New Zealand, etc? Thisresearch paper will try to identify already existing views and models in regard to thecreation of the pan-European identity before addressing additional factors which have tobe taken into consideration as well as.

Keywords:

The European Union, pan-European identity, individual national identities.

Ethnic Indifference and the Pan-European Identity

In my strong opinion, if the pan-European identity is going really to succeed it mustfollows the main feature of the French model of ethnic indifference according to which,all citizens within the state borders belong to state-nation identity. This modelpresupposes and the use of only one official language in the public sphere. The Frenchmodel of ethnic indifference can be described as a model in which all persons who holdthe citizenship of a state (regardless on ethnic or national origin, etc.) form the

people

of the state. Basically, this model of a group identity is derived from the concept of acitizenship-nation which is defines the nation as its people (inhabitants) plus citizenship.Simplified model’s formula “state–nation–language” is implied in several states acrossthe world including France, the United States of America, Canada, Australia,Switzerland, New Zealand and Belgium.The French model of ethnic indifference is built on five principles:1.

It uses a state-nation model emphasizing the importance of the state over thenation.2.

It creates a civic society as opposed to an ethnic society favored by the Germanmodel of ethnic difference.3.

It creates a nationally-linguistic homogeneous state.4.

It integrates minorities into society.5.

It leads to no ethno-linguistic minorities with a consequence to assimilate them.

Vladislav B. Sotirovi

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The European Union and The European Identity

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On the surface, the model of ethnic indifference seems an ideal way to establish thepan-European identity. However, when the model is broken down there are fundamentalissues which must be ironed out. The fact is that the EU is a collaboration of 27historically unique parts. Twelve of them are newly accepted members from the formerEastern Europe with highly expressed ethno-linguistic nationalisms for the sake to protecttheir particular ethno-linguistic identity. We have to remind ourselves that even one-partydictatorial regimes of the former Soviet Union or Yugoslavia could not succeed tointroduce widely accepted supranational identity of “homo Sovieticus”, “homoYugoslavicus” respectively, among their citizens. How can there possibly be now anassimilation of one ethno-linguistic culture, the way described by the French model? Inmy belief, the only way this is possible is if rather than assimilate to a homogeneouslinguistic state, citizens assimilate to the European identity itself. An extra problem isthat the EU is in a unique situation as it is not truly a “state” although in many ways itplays the role of it. Anyway, the French model is a great starting point, but modificationsare necessary to make it applicable to the situation of the EU. Contrary to the Frenchmodel of ethnic indifference, the German model of ethnic difference (“language–nation–state”) is in my opinion not practicable for the pan-European identity integration as itfosters ethno-linguistic differences and historical particularities.Some of recent researches say that “according to a poll conducted by the EuropeanCommission in all 25 member states last year, more than two-thirds of respondents saythey feel ‘attached’ to Europe. Fifty-seven percent see their identity as having a‘European dimension’ in the near future, up five percentage points from 1999, while 41percent say their identity remains entirely national.”

While citizens are feeling“attached” to Europe, how is this occurring and what is the identity respondents arefeeling attached to? The next part of the paper will try to define the concepts of the pan-European identity.

The Concepts of the Pan-European Identity

There are many discussions on how to establish a European identity. The startingstep in this process is to investigate how do European’s feel towards the concept of theEuropean identity? According to the

Herald Tribune

, “most of the EU citizens who saythey feel ‘European’ still rank their national identity higher than their European one,opinion polls show. But among those aged 21 to 35, almost a third says they feel moreEuropean than German, French or Italian, according to a survey by

Time

magazine in2001”. Additionally, a survey conducted by

Eurobarometer

found that “at the end of 2004 only 47% of EU citizens saw themselves as citizens of both their country andEurope, 41% as citizens of their country only. 86 % of the interviewees felt pride in theircountry, while 68% were proud of being European. In general, people feel more attachedto their country (92%), region (88%), city (87%) than to Europe (67%).

The question is what causes this lack of European identity despite the expansion of the EU and a falling of borders? First, assuming that the European identity emerges froman exchange of intercultural relations follows what it refers to as the constructivist viewof

Europe as space of encounters

: “as identities undergo constant change, ‘European

Bennhold Katrin, “Quietly sprouting: A European identity”,

Herald Tribune

, April 26

, 2005.

“European Values and Identity”,

EurActiv.Com

., April 19

, 2006.

Vladislav B. Sotirovi

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The European Union and The European Identity

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identity’ would be encompassing multiple meanings and identifications and would beconstantly redefined through relationships with others. ‘United in Diversity’ would meanthe participation in collective political and cultural practices. It would be wrong andimpossible to fix EU borders”.

The critics of this theoretical concept claim that itoverestimates the ability to adapt, underestimates the need for stability and “too muchdiversity can eventually lead to the loss of identity, orientation and coherence, andtherefore undermine democracy and established communities”.

With a little period gone by since the EU more than doubled in size, adding 17 newmembers, it is quite difficult to claim precisely what is the future of the pan-Europeanidentity. Without any ability to conduct empirical tests the effect of

Europe as space of encounters

can only be discussed theoretically leading to inconclusive results. Yet thereis a reason for optimism. Europe is rapidly changing and this change will surely lead to achange in perspective but will this change constantly redefine the multiple meanings of European identity portrayed by the view of

Europe as a space of encounters

?If Europe is not solely a Europe of space of encounters, then the question becomeshow to define the European identity? For the theory of Europe as space of encounterscertainly has its fair share of critics allowing for alternative definitions to arise. One of the most prosperous starting points for establishing the European identity is the common(

unifying

) culture and (

positive

) history throughout the Old continent. The so-called“Communitarians” believe in the view

Europe of culture or “family of Nations.”

Thisview is defined as: “The European identity has emerged from common movements inreligion and philosophy, politics, science and the arts. Therefore, they tend to excludeTurkey from the ranks of possible future member states and argue a stronger awarenessof the Christian (or Judeo-Christian) tradition. “United in diversity” is taken to refer toEurope as a “family of nations”. On this basis, it is high time to define EU borders”.

Possible problems with this view are: 1) it excludes the inclusion of minoritypopulations within the European Union; and 2) it opposes Turkey’s EU membership.Such culture-nationalistic approach is usually the main source of conflict within theEuropean Union. Furthermore, defining the European identity as Europe of culture willundoubtedly bring forth further tensions with the minority groups throughout the Union.For instance, in 2004, tensions flared in the Netherlands after filmmaker Theo van Goghwas brutally murdered by a citizen of Moroccan descent in response to van Gogh’scontroversial film about Islamic culture.

In response, protestors took to the streets of Amsterdam banging pots and pans as an expression of freedom of speech. Severalmosques were also burnt throughout the country by the Dutch extremists. Further, inGermany, the

gästarbeiter

’s question is a highly contested issue. The situation revolvesaround a large portion of people who are moving to Germany from the 1960’s onwards inorder to fill vacant positions and help the economy grow. The idea was that they wouldgo back to their native countries after Germany had achieved its’ economic success hencethe

gästarbeiter

(guest workers) title. Yet, most

gästarbeiters

decided to stay and manyhad children who were born and raised in Germany. In general, it is essential forEuropean well being to incorporate its national minorities; therefore, a view of the

ibid

ibid.

“Gunman Kills Dutch Film Director”,

BBC News

, November 2

, 2004.