Promoting ‘European’ Identities at and through Pan-European Events

Abstract

The concept of ‘Europe’ appears to imply a cohesive, homogeneous culture and defined territory. Yet, its definition is not clear or static. On the one hand, Europe consists of a set of politically, economically and legally interconnected nation-states. On the other hand, it is a geographical region bounded by seas to the north, west and south and by the Ural mountain range to the east. It can also be conceived of as a set of culturally diverse communities with rich heritages that defy politically imposed geographical boundaries. For its citizens and communities, Europe is a multi-layered, contested and ever-changing construct. In many ways, it is perceived as a region full of opportunity, as a prosperous place to work, live and study. It has an attractive contemporary culture, and relatively stable democratic societies, particularly as seen by those beyond Europe’s physical borders in Asia, Pacific, the Middle East and the Americas (Anholt 2010). However, for residents of the European Union (EU) member states, ‘institutional’ Europe can be seen as overly bureaucratic, with an excessive focus on petty legislation and intrusive policies (Anholt 2010). According to its own official statistics, ‘trust’ in the EU has steadily declined from a peak in spring 2007 of 57 per cent to a current figure of 31 per cent (EC 2013). The same report also indicates a steady decline in the positive image of the EU from 52 per cent in spring 2007 to 31 per cent in autumn 2013.