The EU and the Search for a European Culture and Identity (Chapter 4)

The EU and the Search for a European Culture and Identity (Chapter 4) Return to Unit List

What does European integration mean for the citizens of Europe? And what does an expanding European Union mean for European identity? While your textbook (page 194) points out that the goal of the EU is to "work toward a level of economic and social integration that would make possible the free flow of goods and people across national borders," the goal of European unity can also be seen as the result of two devastating world wars, both of which not only had profound implications for the geography of Europe, but also caused immense devastation and hardship for the European people. For many, European unity is a goal that will prevent such devastation from ever occurring again on European soil. To that extent, the EU explicitly seeks to promote a "European" cultural identity that supersedes more local national identities. This is not to say that the EU seeks to erase Europe's national cultural distinctions, but rather to promote the common values and ideals that the nations of Europe are felt to share.

In a speech to the European Parliament on March 8, 1994, the poet Václav Havel, President of the Czech Republic, indicated the need for a Charter of European Identity. Inspired by Havel’s call, EU delegates in Germany drafted such a charter, which offers a comprehensive statement on Europeanness.

While it was perhaps daunting enough to try to define a set of common values and a common identity for the Western European member-states of the EU in 1994, the fact that the EU had by 2004 expanded to include several Eastern European states (states that had previously fallen within the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union) raises more complicated questions about the core values of so-called "Europeanness." To what extent, for example, are "European" values based on Western European norms? To what extent are Eastern Europeans "accepted" by Westerners as "Europeans"? Perhaps the most complicating factor of all has yet to be broached. The EU and Turkey were scheduled to begin formal membership talks in December, 2004. What will it mean for "Europeanness" when and if the EU’s largest member state is Muslim?

Is Turkey "European" enough? Will fear of Islam in Europe undermine Turkey’s bid for EU membership? To begin exploring the question of "Europeanness" and Turkey’s bid for EU membership, first introduce yourself to a brief history of Turkey, from The Guardian. Then read The Guardian’s Q&A about Turkey’s EU membership. Two reports, one from The Economist and one from ABC News, raise questions about whether the EU and Turkey are truly ready for each other along with the broader concern over "Islamophobia" in Europe. For reasons made clear in each of these articles, there remains significant opposition within the EU to Turkey’s membership. Some groups, such as Germany’s Christian Democratic Union, favor a "privileged partnership" for Turkey, rather than full membership. For the latest information on the current status of Turkey-EU talks, visit The Guardian’s special report on the EU, which is always updated with the latest news from Brussels. Finally, the EU has a charter of European Identity.

Once you have familiarized yourself with the case of Turkey and the EU, organize a discussion or debate in your class around the following questions:

Should Turkey be granted full membership in the EU?
What are some of the reasons for and against Turkey’s membership?
Is Turkey part of Europe? How should "Europe" be defined? What should be the common components, if any, of "European culture"?
Is there a future for a "multicultural" Europe?

The EU’s promotion of "European culture": Given the difficulty of questions like these, the EU supports an active cultural program which, among other things, recognizes European "cities of culture" that exemplify the common cultural heritage that all Europeans might identify with. Visit the EU's "Cultural Capital of Europe" site to learn more about the European City of Culture initiative and find out which European cities have been selected. This is part of the EU's "Culture 2000" Program, which you may also want to explore for other activities pursued by the EU to help foster European Unity along cultural lines. The European Cultural Foundation (ECF) is another organization promoting the cultural unity of Europe along similar lines to the EU's "Culture 2000" Program. Read their "view on European unity and the vital role of culture" and their "priorities" for achieving European unity via cultural promotion. Also, visit the main index page for the EU's European Culture portal.

Both the EU and the ECF make clear that their vision is not a Europe that shares the same culture, but a Europe of tolerance and intercultural dialogue amid great cultural diversity. Is it possible to have a unity in diversity? What are the commonalities among Europeans that the EU and ECF wish to recognize and foster? Does a European cultural identity threaten the continued survival of more local national identities, particularly those which are represented by smaller populations or less powerful countries?

While "European culture" can be a source of great prestige for nations or groups who wish to be recognized as legitimate actors on the world stage, the idea of European cultural unity has been met with a great deal of resistance and, at times, misunderstanding, throughout Europe. European Union has met significant resistance in Britain, for example. The following sites convey a spectrum of British attitudes toward the EU:

The European Movement, a British group promoting Britain's full integration into the European Union

Third Way, a British political party with a suspicious and critical attitude toward the EU

The Campaign for an Independent Britain, promoting British withdrawal from the EU

The British National Party, advocating a broad platform of race-based politics including complete British withdrawal from the EU and the closing of Britain's borders to immigration.

What does the EU and European unity mean to each of these organizations? How does the EU figure into their political agendas?
Having considered the attitudes of these political groups, do you think that the EU's promotion of increased cultural unity amid diversity is an appropriate approach to fostering a peace in Europe?

Regionalism in Europe. The irony of European Union is that as the EU endeavors to build a common European culture and identity, regionalist identities seem to be growing stronger. The Regionalism in Europe page offers an initial foray into this topic, offering numerous examples of regionalist movements around Europe. Explore some of the links on this page and then consider these questions:

What are some of the theme or identities upon which these regionalist movements are based?
Would you characterize these movements as primarily political (that is, seeking to establish their own independent states)? Or, are they more cultural or linguistic?
Do you think these regionalist movements make the EU’s task of building a sense of common identity easier or more difficult? Why?

For further details on the EU, you may wish to explore these sites:

Europoa, the EU on-line

EU internet resources from the University of California at Berkeley

EU's Committee of the Regions