"As to the critique that 'the European Union was built on the myth that we are one people with one common destiny,' one can only reply: so too were the nation-states that are taken for granted today."

--Alexandra Gheciu, University of Ottawa

 

"Over the past 60 years, most of Europe has experienced an unprecedented era of peace.… The EU should certainly be given at least some of the credit for that."

--Robin Lustig, BBC

 

"In Europe, the Soviets and the Nazis discovered that even brutal force wasn't enough to wipe out national identities.… If force couldn't do it, is it really all that surprising that a legalistic treaty and a 'government' dominated by bureaucrats can't do it either?"

--Doug Mataconis, Outside the Beltway

 

"It would not be foolish optimism to see a common identity emerging from eventual acceptance of stronger, shared obligations to sustain the common welfare."

--John Wyles, European Voice

 SUBJECTS:
 

ALIFELIX

6:02 PM ET

March 16, 2012

A lot of Shared Traits / Ideas

European countries obviously have a lot of shared history that have shaped each country individually and thus they posses numerous common traits and ideas. The EU is not about eroding European country identities, but more about organizing them as a group to better function on the world market. I read the Myth of Europe article on my iphone5 and I think the best thing to take from it is that the EU is still young- give it sometime to grow and figure itself out.