Evropska Unija i/ili evropski identitet
European Union and/or European Identity

Summary/Abstract: Th e problem of ‘European identity’ today seems to be much more complex issue than it was thought before twenty or even ten years. Th e legitimacy of the European Union institutions leaves much to be desired. Of course, there are many research programmes devoted to the study of European integration, identity, freedom of movement etc, covered many disciplines. Despite that it is not clear enough whether the European integration strengthens the sense of European identity or European identity has strong impact on support of integration. Although European Union has made some attempts to improve identifi cation with ‘Europe’ (i. e. the European Union), and has introduced some well-known European symbols, early expectations that national states and their people would become Europe and gradually abandon national identity, have not realized. From the beginning the Union has been built on the assumption of a permanent diversity of national identities in Europe, of the idea of unity of diversity. Also, European Union institutions always have been focused more on European integration than on the support on European identity. Th e issue of legitimacy of the Union becomes more and more problematic, and growing number of analysts underlies that progress of European integration will be impeded by the lack of the common identity.

• Details
• Contents