All Debates on European Identity
Tenth debate
Adam D. ROTFELD, former Foreign Minister of Poland, on 'European Values and Search for Identities'
In his presentation, Adam D. Rotfeld argued that history and common memory are understandable and natural requirements for search of national identities. Problems appear when history is treated selectively and national memory is decreed by politicians and the institutions they establish. He...
Ninth debate
Ana PALACIO, former Foreign Minister of Spain, on 'The core EU challenge: democratic deficit or trust deficit?'
In her introduction speech, Ana Palacio discussed her two-fold vision of the European identity outlining its external and internal dimensions. As seen from the outside, there is a European brand, synonymous with the European Union and reflecting a strong symbolism of values including human...
Eighth debate
Tzvetan TODOROV, French essayist, philosopher and historian, on 'In search of Europe'
In his Introduction speech, Tzvetan Todorov exposed his vision of European identity. According to him, the growing unhappiness with the European Union (EU) amongst the population should be understood as a response to politicians’ lack of vision for the European project. Interminable debates on...
Seventh debate
Robert SALAIS, French economist, on 'European identity: The past waiting for a future'
What is preventing Europe from becoming a more human and political community? How can we make Europe more open and democratic at all levels? In his introduction speech, Robert Salais referred to two opposing visions for Europe, one, strategic, based on finding common interests between European...
Sixth debate
Daniel COHN-BENDIT, Publicist and politician, the Greens, MEP, on 'Quo Vadis Europa?'
What are the limits of European integration and what responsibilities would national states have in a transnational Europe? Could European identity one day substitute national patriotism? In his introduction speech, 'Quo Vadis Europa?' Daniel Cohn-Bendit exposed his vision of European identity...
Fifth debate
David LORDKIPANIDZE - 'Georgia and the region’s European aspirations: building the future on a vibrant past'
Professor David Lordkipanidze is a Paleoanthropologist, charting the origins of the first Europeans. The remains he discovered at Dmanisi, Georgia, represent the oldest evidence of humans discovered outside of Africa, dating back 1.8 million years. This discovery in 1991 rewrites human history...
Fourth debate
Martti AHTISAARI, former President of Finland and Nobel Peace Prize laureate on 'Europe is stronger than you think – if we reinvent ourselves’
Many say that Europe is having an existential crisis. For sure, the challenges are severe - and they are not only economic, but also deeply political. In times of crisis, we must not only consider the weaknesses of Europe but also highlight those qualities that made it strong. We have to be able...
Second debate
Yuri ANDRUKHOVYCH, Ukrainian novelist and poet, on ‘Europe: culture at the edge of the world, or who are the losers?’
Yurij Andrukhovych, co-author of 'My Europe', comes from Ukraine, a part of Europe called sometimes MittelEuropa, a region which is rich in multiple nationalities, religions, traditions, cultures and languages. In his introduction presentation, he addressed linguistic diversity, in Central...
Inaugural debate
Inaugural Debate, Karsten ALNÆS, Norwegian writer and historian on ‘Roots of European identity – Challenges and threats’
Karsten Alnaes, author of 'History of Europe' presented the history of Europe, how the concept of Europe evolved. He sees the connection between the concept of identity and the concept of belonging. This community, this sense of identity, this sense of belonging, he argues, is something intrinsic...
Council of Europe Schools of Political Studies sponsored Lab 9 (Training Tomorrow’s Democratic Leaders: How to Make a Difference) of 5th World Forum for Democracy (Strasbourg, 7 - 9 November)
