Conference on the Future of Europe: European Union as a community of values

Conference on the Future of Europe: European Union as a community of values

The European Union entered into the time of unprecedented external and internal challenges. The geopolitical situation requires strategic and political considerations of the basic security assumption such as whether the EU should provide weapons to Ukraine or how to approach China’s violations of human rights? The environmental urgency calls for bold societal and business models, going beyond the short term cost and profit calculation. For the last 5 years the Europeans arduously debated about the basic rules shared within a community such as rule of law. Some made claims of democratic deficit of the EU institutions and quoted the worrying surveys of the decreasing support for an integration. The astounding number of strategic challenges facing the Union encouraged the initiative of Conference on the Future of Europe (see https://futureu.europa.eu/?locale=en). It hopes to provide European citizens with an opportunity to voice their opinion on the key topics and shape the future solutions of the EU. Values and rights, rule of law, security is one of the dialogue areas addressed within the project.

In finding the common ground for the action, the notion that the EU is a community of values seems particularly relevant. The concept gives an analytical framework to look not only for values described in legal texts, but also for an understanding shared by the various members of the community. The different understandings of the common European values is often framed as the argument between Western and Eastern EU members. Some of the trivial narratives divide the continent on the forward-looking, principled, and open societies of the West as opposed to backward, authocratic, and discriminatory societies of the East. This simplistic view is contested and examined by various authors (see https://carnegieeurope.eu/2019/04/11/europe-s-east-west-divide-myth-or-reality-pub-78847). The project aims at examining that dynamic within the Polish-Dutch team. In our view building the common understanding of EU values, even if on a small scale, is a truly community building activity.

To address the above mentioned issue we are going to adopt the action research methodology. It focuses on the group research on the particular problem (Is there a common understanding of European values? What are the differences in the understandings of the West and East members?) and the change process on the individual and group level. Critical youth action research into those issues will allow young Europeans (Polish and Dutch) to take part in the strategic dialogue initiative. Its results will have an empowering and educational impact on the group of 12 Europeans participating in the process (members, volunteers, target audiences of involved organizations).

At start we propose the following scope of activities.

Firstly, we would like to discover interpretations and understandings of the European values with young representatives from the Western part of the EU (ie. the Netherlands). At the beginning, conducting a survey would show how the values are perceived in Poland and the Netherlands. On the basis of surveys a summary of different interpretations can be prepared.

Secondly, after discussing the values and their interpretations it is important to understand how they are translated into social and political practice. Do they influence our perception of recent events and EU problems such us the shape of immigration policy (immigration from the Middle East and Africa, from the Eastern Europe), the rule of law regulations or attitudes towards European history (ie. different perceptions of the Soviet Union)? To explain particular problems the case study methods might be involved.

Thirdly, taking into account the expertise of the Association, the applied drama form to disseminate the project results will be included.

https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/programme-guide/part-b/key-action-2/small-scale-partnerships