How European are you?
May 11th, 2008 | Published in europe, future, present
“10%, far more British than European.”
20-something, UK
“More so since I’ve been living in France. Being British is being European. I can’t feel one without feeling the other.”
20-something, British ex-pat in France“I guess not much really, more Italian, never thought of myself as European.”
20-something, Italian ex-pat in France“25%.”
20-something, UK
Geographically speaking, it’s easy to identify with being European; culturally speaking, the lines begin to blur. As a euro-translator this question of identity is often the subject of conversation, especially in this last bastion of euro-scepticism that I call home.
Living in Europe, the label is inescapable by default. However, choosing to consciously identify with the continent in political and cultural terms is a leap that few of us in the UK dare or care to make. Our country of birth usually being enough for most to cling to. Some go as far as calling themselves, “citizens of the world,” which could be considered more appealing than, “subject of the Queen,” but when it comes to defending the cultures that we were raised in for the sake of future generations it makes more sense to choose and the obvious answer is the place where we spent our childhood.
The future of Europe would appear to be inexorably approaching a form of super-state to rival the major powers in economic terms. Obvious barriers to efficiency may be linguistic and cultural, but these will be eroded with time as external pressures force cooperation. This could force the emergence of one European representative language, working practice and legal system.
Whether or not this would even ever happen is up to chaos theory to decide, but individual European national identity is a thing of the past. In two generations you’ll have to pay - in Euros - for your EuroNation identity card.