L’Union européenne et ses voisins: une affaire de citoyens

The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Global Studies, 2013

Europe: the same semantic fields, different rankings B. Images of Europe: 1. Political space: association Europe -(European) Union 2. Economic Europe: euro and development ( PO, 111 times -association with EU15?) 3. Cultural Europeculture, history 4. Social Europe: freedom, diversity 5. Geographical Europe -continent (ROhigher extension of Europe) 1. "union" -354 times; 2. culture -184 times; 3. euro -161 times)

The present article investigates the construction of the sense of belonging toward Europe in the public sphere, employing a case-study conducted in Italy. The author argues that different conceptualisations of Europe are related to diverse " uses " of the media, familiarity with international cultural resources and participation in the transnational public sphere and civil society. These variables affect the construction of Europeans' sense of belonging.

Europe, 2009

Eurolimes Journal of the Institute for Euroregional Studies ―Jean Monnet‖ European Centre of Excellence Spring 2009 Volume 7 Europe and the Neighbourhood edited by Dorin Ioan DOLGHI, Gilles ROUET & Zsolt RADICS Honorary Members Paul Allies (Montpellier), Peter Antes (Hanover), Enrique Banús (Pamplona), Robert Bideleux (Swansea), Erhard Busek (Wien), Jean Pierre Colin (Reims), George Contogeorgis (Athene), Gerard Delanty (Sussex), György Enyedi (Budapest), Richard Griffiths, Chris G. Quispel (Leiden), Moshe Idel (Jerulalem), Livio ...

Former MEP, Bernat Joan, the author of this paper, intends to reflect on something that is still under construction (and probably still at an early stage): European citizenship, with a liberal, open and free-thinking approach. He focuses on his own experiences and intuitions, as if thinking aloud. Although, the project has been built on the political will of its constituent nation states intent on establishing a common space on certain issues, Europe today is still an economic giant, but a political dwarf. It developed as an idea within the socio-economic sphere. An increase in the democratic quality of European decision-making can only be achieved by greater political consolidation, and in parallel, the construction of a sense of belonging and citizenship. With the belief that a personal approach to the issue is crucial, his deliberations are based on his own views on the latest political developments in Europe, as well as what could happen should the process of European construction be allowed to come to fruition. In so doing, he shares his ideas, sensations, feelings and concerns with the readers. Yet, when writing, he had no intention to finalise his arguments, nor to offer a concrete model for Europe and its political structure. The author proposes the idea of a Nation of Europeans, going beyond citizenship, as a space to engage with all nations on the continent with the goal of resolving national conflicts and providing solutions to challenges arising from the legitimate national aspirations of peoples whose ambitions have not yet been met. It must be a Europe of its citizens; a Europe of its peoples, including national minorities who many believe form part of the “currency” of Europe.

Former MEP, Bernat Joan, the author of this paper, intends to reflect on something that is still under construction (and probably still at an early stage): European citizenship. He focuses on his own experiences and intuitions and to reflect on them, as if thinking aloud. His deliberations are based on his own perception of what the latest political developments in Europe, what is still Today going on and what could happen should the process of European construction be allowed to come to fruition. A personal approach to the issue at stake. He wishes to be about sharing ideas, sensations, feelings and concerns with the readers. yet when writing he had no intention to finalise his arguments, nor to offer a concrete model for Europe and its political structure when it is finally better established. With this paper he offers a reflection, to be shared with whoever is interested, on this idea of a Nation of Europeans. This concept goes beyond citizenship, it represents a space in which to discuss the nature of all nations in the continent. To endure in the goal of resolving national conflicts and providing solutions to problems arising from the legitimate national aspirations of several peoples whose ambitions have not yet been met.

JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 2011

2020

This text, first published in 2002, describes how in Bulgaria, the EU has replaced the nation state as a symbol of authority. Even local history and culture is being embedded and rewritten in the context of European cultural history. Nevertheless, regional identity won't get lost, argues the author, since regions "are a configuration of different liminalities enveloping spatial zones of different sizes that overlap and accrue, providing different options."

2009

Political Geography, 2008

The present article explores meanings of EUrope as they emerged in individual interviews and focus- groups organized around the question of European attachment. The article shows that the ways people make sense of EUrope can be divided into three major categories: cultural-national, cultural-transnational, and functional-utilitarian. Cultural-national referents describe EUrope through the prism of the nation-state and reproduce the isomorphism between territory and identity which has characterized, at least in theory, the nation-state itself. Cultural-transnational referents present EUrope as a normative model for the rest of the world, a model for ‘another’ globalization, more social and less liberalist, and a champion of humanitarianism and international peace. Functional-utilitarian referents address EUrope as a space which could help the individual and/or the collectivity to which the individual belongs to enhance their well-being. In this latter case, EUrope resonates with a post-national space, one which goes beyond the isomorphism between territory and identity. The article argues that the reasons why people might identify with and support EUrope are different, and not always driven by feelings of emotional attachment. As such, the article brings empirical evidence to the thesis that a EUropean demos, understood as a sense of collective identity, should not be considered as a necessary condition for the existence of a EUropean polity.