European Identity - Individual, Group and Society - HumanitarianNet

WHAT WE MEAN WHEN WE SAY EUROPE 41On the one hand, there are numerous well-known approaches of adifferent nature inclined to elaborate on the existence of a Europeanidentity in operation today. As a counterpoint to our affirmation, werefer to Václav Havel’s Letter on the European Identity, presentedbefore the European Parliament in 1994, and that still is one of theoutstanding texts with regard to the identity of the whole of Europe.The arguments used by the author recount the presence of elementsthat distinguish and unite us in that destiny of building a new Europe,“an answer to the historic challenge of the present and the sadexperiences of the past.” 10 Notwithstanding all this, a few years later,he acknowledges the “scarce tradition of conscious Europeanness” insuch a way that the revival of this concern among Europeans alsoseems to demonstrate that Europe is reconsidering its role in the world,is becoming aware of its otherness in the world with regard to a“multicultural, multipolar world, in which recognizing one’s ownidentity is a prerequisite for coexisting with other identities.” 11 It seemsneedless to underscore Havel’s preoccupation about giving someconsistency to a recognizable identity that has nevertheless not fullytaken root in broad social strata in Europe.Truth be told, negating European identity would be tantamount todenying our entire past heritage and our current reality. Consequentlyand although there is an attempt to omit this obvious fact, it manifestsitself chiefly in the existence of a common way of being, thecomplexity of which eludes us. By way of generalization, and in thewords of the German Edmund Ohlendorf, “the acceptance of commonvalues implies the creation of a community of values.” 12Hence it is advisable to give concrete expression to these valuesinsofar as possible. Havel does so in the aforementioned Letter, fromwhich we have reproduced a lengthy quote in order to emphasize how“the fundamental European values, ideal and principles are foundedon the recognition of tolerance, humanitarianism and fraternity […]Our greatest assets, he continues, are Freedom, Peace, Human Dignity,Equality and Social Justice. [Values] rooted in Antiquity and Christianity,that have evolved over the course to nowadays make up the bedrock10President of the Czech Republic, Václav HAVEL: Letter on the European Identity.Speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, 8 March 1994.11Havel, Václav: article in “Catalunya-Europa”, the magazine of the “Europarlamentarisdel Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya” (MEPs of the Catalan Socialist Party),2000, available on web page:http://www.catalunyaeuropa.org/magazine/debat/identidadeuropea.htm12“Identidad Europea”, an educational project to promote the European dimensionof teaching, E. Ohlendorf: www.eduvinet.de/eduvinet/es010.htm