Scholars of the European Union (EU) have a strong interest in the concept of European Union identity (Cram, 2009). The ‘European union’ identity can be identified nowadays, although there are still conflicts between national identities and a shared European identity which can be illustrated by the data from Eurobarameter and other sources. Most people perceive themselves as Europeans, as Anderson (1991) state, there is no contradictory between Europe and nation-state, ‘country first, but Europe, too’ is the main feeling of the public. However, some people don’t consider themselves as European which result from a strong attachment to the national culture. Even though, the tendency of the convergence of diverse national identity cannot be resisted (Cram, 2009). Migration of population within Europe and the implementation of Europe policy accelerate the progress of formation of the shared identity. This article is going to focus on two reasons why people are willing to define themselves as European by showing how their national identities interact with the European identity, mainly in two countries UK and Poland .The first reason is the issue of Euro, which can be regarded as a tangible symbol of a shared identity and can be perceived easily. The second reason is the collective memory shared among countries and entire Europe.
The first reason is the issue of euro. Considering a strong correlation between money and collective national identity, money can be used as an effective tool in facilitating the integration of diverse identities (Risse, 2003). Actually, the principal goal of the issues of euro is to promote the unification of the monetary system and foster integration of the economy in order to ease economic activities betwee...
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Both the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) and the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) are strategies developed by the European Union in regards to their dealings with the ‘outside’ world. The European Neighborhood Policy finds its obstacles in the once superpower of the Russians, and their conflicting neighborhood policy. Whereas the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy finds its obstacles through its numerous memberships which on the outside one would consider a boon of combined knowledge, but when their insurmountable differences become involved it is a burden. The European Union unfortunately has become known for being a hypocritical organization, playing the mantra ‘do as I say not as I do’. Moreover, the European Union takes its power for granted and assumes “itself as a superior embodiment of soft power and a model of peace, democracy and prosperity in the region.” After the Cold War, the EU set out to develop a new phase of expansion and integration. One of the topics related to the process of European Union integration is the concern of a European Identity, and what it means to be ‘European’. The EU has struggled to define itself as a “Multicultural community sharing a set of universal values” , conversely defining what it means by ‘multiculturalism’ has become the center of political conflict within its governments. The conundrum may be if the European Union wants to keep the European feeling, then why should it bring in a country that is not European? But then again what is European? The debate over this term is one that surrounds the history of Europe and the possible futures available for the European Union. Is the EU or any nations allowed within it defined by the geographic constructs shown on th...
Analyzing the process leading up to the euro and the looking at the possible advantages and disadvantages that will result from the new currency are the key issues of this essay. The first section looks at some of the requirements leading up to the euro, including some of the specific fiscal goals required by the EMU regarding prospective members in 1999. The second section looks at some of the economic reasons for European Union countries to adopt the euro, focusing on the elimination of exchange rate fluctuations, increase trade overseas and across borders, and expanding markets for business as some of the advantages of euro currency countries. Price transparency, another advantage of the euro, is the focus for section three. Price transparency is the ability to easily recognize price differences between countries, which was not possible pre-euro. The paper then points on some effects of the euro on American businesses its economy. The updating of financial and accounting IT systems was the main adjustment discussed that U.S. multinationals must deal with. The paper then briefly looks at tourism, and how that industry of Europe is affected by the euro. The paper then looks at the euro introduction from a political standpoint, explaining if the EU goal of “political unity” is actually possible. The essay finally discusses the future of the currency, asking the question “Can the euro survive?”
...: Reassessing Legitimacy in the European Union. Journal of Common Market Studies, 40 (4), pp. 603-24.
In contrast, identity-related approaches assume a strong relationship between psychological well-being and support for the EU. In particular, anti-immigration attitudes, fear of cultural threat and exclusive national identity have been considered predictors for Euroskepticism (see Hooghe/Marks 2004; McLaren 2007 to be discussed). Few scholars try to combine both approaches because they do not view them as adverse, but as complementing each other (see Garry/Tilley 2009 to be discussed).
Nationalism is the idea that a people who have much in common, such as language, culture and geographic proximity ought to organize in such a way that it creates a stable and enduring state. Nationalism is tied to patriotism, and it is the driving force behind the identity of a culture. Nationalism had many effects in Europe from 1815, The Congress of Vienna and beyond. In the following essay I will describe many of the consequences of nationalism on European identity, as well as some of the conflicts that it created.
This essay will be looking to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the social identity theory with studies to support.
The greatest fear of having monetary unification across major countries of Europe is that one country’s actions and problems
The Europeans Union (EU) has been as divisive as much as it has brought Europe together. Opinion polls within counties such as the UK have shown that the EU is unpopular (YouGov 2011). Yet, the EU has opened up territorial borders, and united Europe within one monetary bloc. Euroscepticism is a wide-ranging belief encompassing any criticism of the EU (McCormick 2011). It criticises both the structure and the policies of the EU. Solidarity is the concept that there is a cultural homogeneity within a certain group of people (Jary and Jary 2000). Solidarity is ‘situated … at the crossroads between ‘liberty’ and ‘equality’, between ‘self-interest’ and ‘altruism’.’ (Ferrera 2008) Solidarity is known to occur within a state, as citizens share a uniform socioeconomic and political system. International solidarity can take on two forms; transnational sovereignty, and member state sovereignty. Transnational sovereignty is the common sharing of an ideology within a population. Member state solidarity involves active participation and cooperation between nation-states. The level of cooperation is above that of participating within an intergovernmental organisation. This essay will outline solidarity within the EU. It will then analyse the impact of euroscepticism on solidarity. This will look at how euroscepticism has affected solidarity beyond nation-states. This essay will argue that solidarity is possible beyond the nation-state.
As a result of those huge economic and social issues resulting from Eurozone crisis, finding a solution to the currency problem become an urgent as well as a crucial task of the member countries. In order to fix this problem, there were many different proposals submitted by all parties concerned. Policy implementations taken by the European Central Bank have had some powerful impacts on the economy of the union, and therefore the idea concerning a separation within the union has almost disappeared. However, to be able to find an effective and permanent solution it is needed to focus on long term fiscal and monetary policies.[1]
How the euro benefits us all. European Communities, Economic and Financial Affairs, 2007. Web: http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/publications/publication9869_en.pdf
The Eurozone, as an economic and monetary union, was used as a means to provide a uniform currency for Europe. Creating what Nobel Prize winning economist, Robert Mundell, calls an “Optimum Currency Area”, allowed for more efficient trade within and outside of the EU, by eliminating the risks caused by competing currencies and reduced transaction costs. Greece was the first country to gain membership into the Eurozone outside of the original eleven member states, despite being in a rather poor economic condition at the time. Since the late 1970s to the early 1990s, Greece inflation rate continued to grow at very high levels, topping off just under 19% (Gargana and Tavlas, xxxiii). Greece’s debt also continued to increase from 27% of the GDP in 1979, to 111.6% in 1993 (Garganas and Tavlas, xxxiv). During Greece’s accession process in the fi...
The enlargement of the European Union (EU) in 2004 and 2007 has been termed as the largest single expansion of the EU with a total of 12 new member states – bringing the number of members to 27 – and more than 77 million citizens joining the Commission (Murphy 2006, Neueder 2003, Ross 2011). A majority of the new member states in this enlargement are from the eastern part of the continent and were countries that had just emerged from communist economies (EC 2009, Ross 2011), although overall, the enlargement also saw new member states from very different economic, social and political compared to that of the old member states (EC 2009, Ross 2011). This enlargement was also a historical significance in European history, for it saw the reunification of Europe since the Cold War in a world of increasing globalization (EC 2009, Mulle et al. 2013, Ross 2011). For that, overall, this enlargement is considered by many to have been a great success for the EU and its citizens but it is not without its problems and challenges (EC 2009, Mulle et al. 2013, Ross 2011). This essay will thus examine the impact of the 2004/2007 enlargements from two perspectives: firstly, the impact of the enlargements on the EU as a whole, and thereafter, how the enlargements have affected the new member states that were acceded during the 2004/2007 periods. Included in the essay will be the extent of their integration into the EU and how being a part of the Commission has contributed to their development as nation states. Following that, this essay will then evaluate the overall success of the enlargement process and whether the EU or the new member states have both benefited from the accessions or whether the enlargement has only proven advantageous to one th...
The story of Europe is a story that is worth telling for the simple fact that without the background of Europe, people will not understand the complexities in the creation of the Europe of yesterday and creation of the Europe today. This rich history cannot be ignored because of the close ties to the creation of the nations and the supranational institutions that have become the European Union and its trade partners. Without the background on the history of Europe the creation of this larger organization or supranational organization would be nearly impossible to understand the complexities of the current political, social and economic qualities within the EU. The history of a country, state or organization also helps us to understand the some aspects of the future of the EU.