European Identity: The Death of National Era?

EU integration, the next step of which is the establishment of the European constitution, requires a stronger European identity representing the affected citizens willing to pursue the policy of the EU. EU, as a supranational entity, is promoting and forging European identity as a collective identity of its political community. Its theoretical base, the cosmopolitanism, is as old as the European history itself and older than the nationalism. Different from national identities, European identity is a post-national identity. It is this difference which enables their co-existence in the form of multiple identities to the EU citizens. European identity is based on human and civic rights as well as on ‘constitutional patriotism’. The relationship between the constitution, representing higher stage of EU integration, and European identity is mutual. They both affect in further evolution of each other. This book sheds light over the evolution and the role of European identity. It is targeted to European citizens and politicians.