“Who would die for Brussels?” a “European identity”’ and “Europeans”: Imagination and reality

Abstract

This article examines several academic works with different methodologies in order to investigate the ability of the European Union’s collective identity construction. It asks in particular that after some 3 decades whether a European identity has emerged among Europeans. 

The findings suggest that national identities, and national affiliation, remain supreme for most European citizens. Together, there seems to be significant support for the EU but much less support for any specifically defined contours of a European identity. A certain number of Europeans, however, expressed their affiliation with Europe second to their own nation, suggesting that Europeans are capable of multiple identities, i.e., both national and European identities.