Формування європейської ідентичності: утопія чи реальність?

Abstract

The article analyzes some approaches of EU governing bodies, politicians and experts regarding the prospects of European identity formation in the general context of integration processes. In particular, the requirements of the Copenhagen Declaration (1973), the Europe for Citizens Program approved by the Council of the European Union for the period up to 2020. A lot of attention has been paid to historical memory as a pivotal basis for the formation of cultural identity, especially the condemnation of totalitarian communist and Nazi regimes, as outlined in the European Parliament resolutions of 2 April 2009 and 17 September 2019 insufficient objectivity in evaluating the entire spectrum of past events. At the same time, we criticize this approach for its one-sidedness and lack of objectivity in evaluating the full spectrum of past events. It was noted that the opportunities for expanding and deepening the European public sphere are not fully used to strengthen European identity, especially in view of the development of European content in the media and the powerful commercialization of the media market. Significant potential lies in enhancing the dynamics of cross-border cooperation, providing a new impetus to labor mobility and enhancing interstate student exchange, as evidenced by statistics and sociological researches. At the same time, there is a weak competitiveness of European universities compared to American universities. They have high difference in terms of their integration into the global, their level of funding and so on. The development of territorial communities, together with the improvement of direct interaction between regions and the supranational community, the promotion of EU symbols (flag, anthem, common holidays and even a common currency) requires rethinking. Thus, it is concluded that Euroscepticism is a natural reaction to the European integration processes, general rhetorical stereotypes of argumentation of EU supporters and simplified models of preparation and decision making in the governing bodies of the Union. The accelerated dynamics of the realization of the ideal of "post-national citizenship" in today's realities is unrealistic and undesirable.