The EU and the multifaceted nature of European identity

Abstract

Europe is a place where national identity can be affirmed, rather than rejected, since this does not contradict or weaken the idea of a shared European identity. This study discusses the multifaceted nature of European identity and culture. It argues that the EU should engage in, and not retreat from, such discussions. The study posits that the shared European space and the sui generis nature of the EU mean that national identity and European identity should be considered complementary. Indeed, the two can strengthen each other. This, however, depends on the principle of subsidiarity being respected without qualification. In this regard, the EU has registered some success, but it has struggled when it has attempted to emulate nation-states in their creation of ‘imagined communities’.