EU Summer School: European Identity at the Crossroad

Each European country has its own culture, religion, traditions and languages. Despite its rich and persistent cultural diversity is Europe for decades engaged in joint international project aimed at political and economic integration within the EU. European Union's motto - "United in Diversity" is perceived and interpreted differently. European identity is a complex concept which has different forms and contents. There is in some countries European identity considered as a cultural value or factor, but especially in the new member states of EU is still only perceived as opportunities to travel for work or study. Furthermore, there is no definition of European identity in official EC/EU Treaties and have been very vague wording in other documents. Also surveys show that EU citizens still primarily identify more with their country of origin. The indicator and evidence of such a situation may be also the low turnout in elections to the European Parliament. The debate on European identity is nowadays influenced by other factors such as increasing migration and related euroscepticism, failing idea of multiculturalism, no planned further enlargement of the EU and the military conflict in the immediate neighborhood of the EU's borders.
We can say that the uncertainty, ambiguity but also different perception of European identity is fo EU problem of legitimacy. How should be consolidated? What assumptions and instruments are needed at European, national or local level?

Selected participants of EU Summer School will examine before the start of summer school the perception of European identity among young people in their countries, for example through an online survey, available articles/publications about this topic and interviews with their peers. First days of summer schools will be full of lectures, workshops and discussions closely related to the topic of European identity led by experts on the topic in order to better understand the concept of European identity: e.g. enlargement of the EU, national identity versus European identity, euroscepticism, migration, democratic deficit in the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy based on a common European identity, multiculturalism, conflict in Ukraine ....

In the next days, the participants themselves will work on the Charter which will contains definition of a European identity and recommendations on possible instruments to strengthen European identity. This document will be presented to invited decision-makers in the field of youth at EU level (MEPs, representatives of the European Commission, representatives of the Advisory Committee of the Council of Europe Youth Representative Executive Agency Erasmus + ...) and participants together with invited decision-makers will discuss proposed document. The desired conclusion of such discussions as well as summer school itself would be a discussion of the possible involvement of young people on this issue and further process (e.g. estabilishment of working group dealing with this issue and formed of young people, also by the participants of summer school).

EU Summer School will be held at the beginning of September 2015 for 7 days in Trnava, Slovakia.

EU Summer School will be organized by Faculty of Social Sciences of University of Ss Cyril and Methodius in Trnava.

If you are interested to be partner of the project, please send us filled partner identification and signed mandate until 26 April the latest.
We are looking for universities and academic institutions but also NGOs interested in this topic and need to be registered on ECAS portal and have PIC number.