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We provide Committees of the AUTHOR DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES

European Parliament in the area of Markus J. Prutsch, European Parliament POLICY DEPARTMENT
STRUCTURAL AND COHESION POLICIES
Structural & Cohesion Policies with a
dedicated research service.
As a Policy Department we do our own
research but also contract external
experts to deliver studies and briefings
for the Committees.

European Identity
The full study is available here:
http://bit.ly/2mZqOTs

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L009141
IP/B/CULT/NT/2017-004
How to examine the
PE 585.921 April 2017
concept,challenges and prospects
of "collective identities" and a
"common European identity" in
particular .

A study commissioned by the

Committee on Education
 MAIN
CONCLUSIONS
• The state and prospects of a ‘European
identity’ can be condensed into the
following eight suggestions:
• Recognising identity to be an elusive
and intrinsically constructivist concept;
• acknowledging collective identity as
being central to any body politic;
• weighing the chances and limits of
national identity-building patterns
being transferred to a supranational
level;
• recognizing the need for a European
identity to be both political and
cultural;
• revising existing identity policies with a
view to strengthening bottom-up
approaches;

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• defining historical remembrance as a
focal point of identity struggles, yet also
a potential nucleus for a European
identity;
• fostering a civic ‘European culture of
remembering’;
acknowledging the central role of
education.
ABSTRACT FOCUS ON
European identity has two equivalent This study examines the concept of
meanings : Europe as a cultural "collective identities" and the "common
community of shared values and Europe European identity"in particular. What
as a political community of shared are the cultural and political approaches
democratic practices. Both concepts have to foster allegiances with a political and
their respective appeal, but also face supranational body such as the E. U.?
substantial criticism as regards their Particular attention is paid to the role of
desirability and feasibility. A combination history and historical remembrance, as
of both cultural and political approaches well as that of bottom-up initiatives
is indispensable for a resilient European aimed at active civic engagement, in
identity. For the ideal of a culturally strengthening a European sense of
substantiated sense of belonging belonging.
compatible with and reinforcing a
democratic society to emerge, a critical
“culture of remembering” the past and
tailored education policies appear equally $PNNFOUT
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http://bit.ly/2mZqOTs