Date: 13 October 2005
 
Speaker: The Rt. Hon. Douglas Alexander, MP, Minister of State for Europe of the United Kingdom
Chair: H. Onno Ruding, Chairman of the CEPS Board of Directors
 
 

The UK Minister for Europe, Douglas Alexander, delivered a landmark speech on European identity at CEPS on October 13th. After having praised CEPS’ “contribution to the European policy debate”, the Minister laid out a vision for a European Union that was not intended to replace the individual nation states but rather would help them flourish. Indeed, he observed “remarkable little evidence” that national loyalties are being replaced by European sympathies, and remarked that political debates remain nationally focused “even among the elites”. Alexander then embarked on a historical overview of key developments within Europe, stressing that these all pointed to the existence of a European cultural identity, a “strand of Europeanness”. The latter, however, did not imply the existence (or the desirability) of a European political identity. In particular, the Scottish politician believes that the reference to symbols of the Union (flag, anthem, etc.) risks giving citizens the impression that the EU is an entity that in fact it is not, thereby arousing unjustified concerns.
Having said this, Minister Alexander pointed out that there are areas where it was “common sense” for the EU member states to cooperate. In particular, this was the case in the field of security, where judicial cooperation between member states has already proven its usefulness in dealing with the challenges posed by international terrorism. Two other areas where it was easy to see the added value of Europe were the neighbourhood policy, through which the EU is bringing democracy and stability to the countries that are at its borders (and here the Minister welcomed the start of accession negotiations with Turkey and called for a commitment in that sense also vis-à-vis the Western Balkans), as well as regional policy. Through the latter, the EU was making it possible for multiple identities to coexist, without fearing a breaking up of the nation states but rather allowing pieces of different sizes and shapes to fit into a strong European mosaic.
 
Read the full text of Minister Alexander’s Speech.