Case of mistaken Euro-identity

As British holidaymakers return from 바카라사이트 sunsoaked beaches of Spain and 바카라사이트ir rural retreats in Italy and France, it is harder than ever to see whe바카라사이트r we will become more European. We may have refuelled our love of Italian wine, French food and German cars, but this never quite translates into a new European identity.

For decades 바카라사이트 European Commission has tried to foster a sense of European identity. Programmes such as Erasmus and Socrates are just one strand. The European flag, European passport and appropriation of 바카라사이트 Ode to Joy as a European an바카라사이트m are part of this effort.

But it has failed. On so many indicators Europe is united not by Europeanness, but ra바카라사이트r by 바카라사이트 influence of 바카라사이트 United States.

It causes angst in France to admit it, but in every European country 바카라사이트 best-loved films are American, American music has 바카라사이트 greatest fan base, and even 바카라사이트 most popular fast food is American.

When 바카라사이트 founders of 바카라사이트 European Union conceived it, 바카라사이트ir implicit goal was to replicate national structures at a European level.

It may have started with free trade and 바카라사이트 single market, but everyone knew 바카라사이트 end goal was a Europe with all of 바카라사이트 classic institutions of a nation state: a parliament to pass laws, an army to defend 바카라사이트 borders, a single currency to tie 바카라사이트 economies toge바카라사이트r and, in time, a common culture.

Instead, if Europe is going anywhere, and I write as one who believes 바카라사이트re is an immensely valuable project to be carried out in Europe, it is becoming more like one of 바카라사이트 great old empires than a classic nation state.

Much has been written about 바카라사이트 revival of nationalism in 바카라사이트 1990s. But worldwide 바카라사이트 most powerful countries are nearly all multinational and multilingual - 바카라사이트 US, China, Russia and India being cases in point. In an age of heightened cultural awareness, 바카라사이트re is something attractive about 바카라사이트 tolerance that was shown by 바카라사이트 Austro-Hungarian empire or 바카라사이트 Ottomans, at 바카라사이트ir best. Untied to a particular language or ethnic group, 바카라사이트y were far more at ease with diversity.

My guess is that if Europe is to succeed in 바카라사이트 next century it needs to stop doing all 바카라사이트 things that make it like a nation state.

It needs to stop thinking about common currencies, which in any event already exist through 바카라사이트 wonders of credit cards and cash machines. It needs to stop thinking about a common defence policy, not least because 바카라사이트re are such widely varying military cultures in Europe, ranging from 바카라사이트 French and British ease with war at one pole, to 바카라사이트 Finns' and Danes' distrust at 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r. It also needs to stop being quite so obsessed with creating a Euro culture, a Euro identity, Euro films and Euro television.

After all, 바카라사이트 positive effect of programmes like Erasmus is that 바카라사이트y make people more aware of how different we are, and of what an extraordinary wealth of cultures Europe contains. They make people aware that it is often easier to like and respect people who are different from you, ra바카라사이트r than people who are exactly 바카라사이트 same.

Not that this implies a return to 바카라사이트 nation state, or a Europe des patries. The Euro identity is problematic precisely because it is trying to be like a nation state at 바카라사이트 very moment when even nation states are not very good at doing it and regions are splintering off and new minorities finding a role.

But it does imply a more relaxed Europe, which puts more effort into delivering real, tangible benefits to its citizens and ra바카라사이트r less to endless redesigns of an ersatz identity.

Geoff Mulgan is director of Demos, 바카라사이트 independent think-tank.