En europeisk identitet : en studie av Manuel Castells kriterier vid skapandet av en europeisk identitet

Abstract A European identity A study of Manuel Castells criteria’s to create a European identity C-Essay in Political Science, by Helena Saagpakk, August 2007 Supervisor: Björn Åkerberg Philosophers and visionaries dreamt early on the idea about a united Europe. This dream was destroyed by the two world wars during the first half of the 20th century. The first community was established in 1950 after the Second World War. This was the beginning of a peaceful cooperation between the member states, and the community later developed into the European Union. “We are not bringing together states, we are uniting people”, said Jean Monnet back in 1952, which is one of the union’s greatest challenges, i.e. to unite the citizens around the European idea and raising public awareness about the European union. The purpose of the essay is to examine if the Constitution Treaty contributes to a developed European identity. The investigation has been performed by comparing the consolidated treaties with the Constitution treaty. To be able to investigate the purpose have I used five of Manuel Castells criteria’s for making a European identity; education, diversity in ethnicity and culture, the geographical movement of the labour force, the political identity and a common foreign politics. The comprehensive question of the study is: Does the Constitution treaty promote a European identity in the European Union? The result of the study shows that of the five criteria’s are there three criteria’s, diversity in ethnicity and culture, the political identity and a common foreign politics, that are promoting a European identity more in the Constitution treaty than in the consolidated treaties. The result of the study shows, therefore, that the Constitution treaty promotes a European identity in the European Union. A European identity can only develop if the criteria’s are invested equally or bigger in the Constitution treaty than in the consolidated treaties. After an implementation of the Constitution treaty in the union and in the member states, can the criteria’s have an effect on the integration of the citizens in the union and the feeling of a European identity