“Common European Way of Life?” Call for Dialogue on Europeanness and the Interpretation of the European Way of Life

Abstract

When Ursula von der Leyen as the President of the new Commission announced the programme of ‘Promoting our European Way of Life’ in 2019, we all thought for a moment – what do we really mean under the European way of life? In our paper, we seek answers to several questions. We examine whether the European way of life can be identified with European identity and what factors influence the creation of European identity. We consider it important to emphasise the historical aspects of European integration, as the need for European peace significantly impacted the development of Europeanness. In our view, the concept of a common European way of life can be fulfilled by exercising EU citizens’ rights regarding that EU citizenship is not intended to replace or overwrite national citizenship. At the same time, we look at the instruments of direct democracy, particularly the EU Citizens’ Initiative. EU citizens shape the future of Europe. Our study looks at how the promises of past experiences and futures can influence the identity view of the millions of citizens who live on the European integration’s sphere.