EU 10 years after its biggest enlargement: Europe's identity crisis. Looking in the black box of European cultural and political identities

Abstract

One of the biggest challenges faced by the European Union (EU) is also one of the most ignored by academics. This paper argues that a Western-European culture exists. It has been shaped by a millennium of Catholic influence which fostered the distinction between politics & religion. It is therefore distinct from an Eastern-European culture mostly shaped by the influence of the Orthodox Church. Such Western-European culture gives enough cultural unity to allow the EU to become a more politically integrated Union. Cultural unity is however not enough to create a political union. There is also the need for political identity. Such political identity already exists but is rarely made explicit contrary to what the official wisdom says, what is now the current EU was rather built as a project of non-domination than as a project of peace per se. Enlargements undermined both identities. Firstly the EEC enlarged to a united-kingdom that shares this Western-European cultural identity, but not a political identity. Later Eastern-European countries like Bulgaria joined, undermining the pre-existing cultural identity. (original abstract)