Unified in Diversity: Europe’s Search for a Collective Identity

Abstract

Despite the ongoing European integration process, with ever more legislative powers being transferred to the European level, EU citizens do not seem to have responded with a simultaneous, increased affiliation towards the Union. Especially since the rejection of the Constitution for Europe, the notion of European identity has been given particular attention. This paper examines the existence and prospect of a wider European identity in times of continuing strong national affiliations. It will be seen that human beings can have multiple identities, without them necessarily contradicting each other. Besides, identities are not fixed, but dynamic and thus subject to permanent change. Based on that, it will be shown that the creation of a collective European identity has already started and will be further fostered in the future.