Europe 2.0 – the next generation
Europe has arrived at a turning point. For decades the borders of Europehave been extended; it now includes former Soviet states, parts of the Balkan and reaches from London to Athens with almost 500 millioninhabitants. Yet now after years of extension and progress, the European project has come to a halt. Not much is left of the idealism that laid at thebase of the European Union. While trust in European politicians decreases, nationalism and xenophobia are winning ground. The lack of true democratic foundations and institutions strengthens mistrust. It is therefore imperative that we again focus upon the original content of the European project.
Europe has become a soulless machine, an institute without vision. In order to change direction, to not lose all that has been gained in the last 50 years, and to prevent eventual disintegration, Europe has to reinvent itself. To do this, Europe needs new stories and new ideals.The current generation of young Europeans will have to take the lead in this. Dreaming is possible again; we have to claim Europe and shape it withour own ideals and stories. Engagement with other Europeans and theexchange of ideas are essential for creating shared stories and leaving our prejudices behind. The idea of Europe as a guarantor of peace and stability has lost its appeal for ayounger generation that only knows the terrors of war second hand in reports from distant parts of the world or in tales of their grandparents. Additionally, with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 the East-West dichotomy was also lost. The stories of capitalism versus communism and democracy versus autocraticcentralism were, although splitting Europe in two, binding forces on both sides ofthe wall. After its initial enthusiastic and universal embracement in the early 1990s, the idea of a unified world of free market democracies has little by little also lost its binding force. What we are left with in Europe is an ideological vacuum.
This vacuum does not only pose a hurdle to the further development of Europe, but offers room for nationalism and xenophobia as well, sentiments against which Europe took up arms fifty years ago. Fed by the fear of globalization and vast flows of migration, paired with low economic growth, high unemployment and arising proportion of poor residents, nationalism and xenophobia are in there bound across the entire continent. In particular, in Central and Eastern Europewe see political polarization and nationalist sentiment packed with nostalgiasteadily resurgent.In many cases the European Union is not perceived as a convincing solution to problems such as economic stagnation, unemployment and migration. On the contrary, nationalistic politicians exploit the mistrust towards the anonymous power of Brussels.
Indeed, the European Union remains a distant, un-democraticand little understood institution. Perhaps the most important shortfall of the European project is the non-existence of a shared public sphere in which media and citizens can react on developments within the Union. There is no European newspaper, no European television channel. A European public sphere, where a cross-border dialogue can be heldoutside national prerogatives and in which each European citizen can participate,does not exist. For a legitimate and properly functioning Europe, we need, apartfrom much-needed institutional changes, a dynamic, shared public space. Without active and sincere interaction with others we will never loose our prejudices. The progress of the European project is severely hindered by cultural assumptions and historical differences. The citizens of the new member states are given the feeling of being second-class citizens of Europe. We must accept the challenge to recognize our prejudices and to leave them behind. To achieve this, one has to show a genuine interest in other Europeans.It is up to our generation to take the lead.
We are unmistakably European. We have affinity with its diversity, social system and cultures. Even more so, Europe is the place where we grew up, where we spent our childhood summers, where we learnt foreign languages and where we obtained our higher-education degrees. It is not an abstract discourse, but the place which we call home. Europe is our source of inspiration and of the ideas from which we draw strength.Our generation has also surpassed the pitfalls of post-modernity, and there is space again for ideals and we no longer linger in relativism. We do not associate grand, all-encompassing visions with the nightmare of a polarized world.
We dare to dream again, to believe in something. We are not just another generation, we are the first truly European generation!
We have never experienced fear for the Russians or the Bomb. The Iron Curtainis for us no more than a historical term. The Berlin Wall is more a symbol of unification than division in our collective memory. Traveling from the Netherlands to Poland and from Hungary to Ireland is perfectly normal, we interact with other Europeans without any difficulties and have friends in various European cities. Europe is the stage on which we move with utmost ease. Europe is our second home.
We are Europeans!
Our generation may not be one of large movements yet instead one of smallinitiatives. The advantage of these small scale initiatives, networks and organizations is that discussions on politics, economy and culture now take place on a personal scale again. We start small so to avoid our opinions on Europe disappearing in all-absorbing abstractions. Not burdened by our past, our generation is again free to give substance to the public sphere and realize our ideals.We propose a new perspective.
Europe’s culture diversity will not be grasped by one great story but it will be found in a bundle of stories, an infinite bundle of stories in which the stories will react to each other and end differently every time.These are not stories about Europe but of Europe. What we imagine is a continuous discussion, a continuous exchange of ideas. This dynamic will offer Europe a future, renewing ideas and perspectives every time, and keeping the discussion vibrant.The exchange of ideas is essential for this.
But exactly now, when people travel,exchange and communicate more then ever, can set the tone. The fully cosmopolitan man is an illusion. As long as you do not know your own borders you cannot overcome these borders. Let’s not forget that people really are different and that we might not fully know them. That’s why we stand for a new humbleness. The realization that the world is still bigger than what we know and that people are different than we think is necessary for the development of genuine acceptance and tolerance. Of course people will always associate themselves with, and feel attached to, their nation. But we can take a European perspective without giving up our identity.
A European bundle of stories, by emphasizing both differences and commonalities, will contribute to a feeling of bonding and understanding among our fellow Europeans. Hence these are not necessarily stories about Europe, orworse about the European identity, but stories of and from Europe, not a dry academic bundle but like the brothers Grimm.Our generation needs to claim Europe; it is up to us to give new substance to the Europe we grew up in. Claim your own European history, but also claim your own European future by taking a new look at our continent and her diversity andrichness. Search for the stories of Europe, and tell your own story. Only with convincing perspectives will Europe be attractive to everybody.
The Danube Foundation is a network of young engaged Europeans who want to broaden and deepen the European dimension. We aim to contribute to the exchange of ideas between Central, Eastern and Western Europe and to the creation of a European public sphere.
Like the river whose name it takes, theDanube Foundation helps to connect diverse European cultures. We strive todevelop a platform for, and a network of, young creative minds so as to encourage the development of a cross border dialogue and new ideas.
www.danube-foundation.eu