Fur i o Cer utti (Uni ver si ty of Fl or ence, Dept of - PDF document

Fur i o Cer utti (Uni ver si ty of Fl or ence, Dept of Phi l osophy; cer utti @ uni f i . i t) ON THE POLI TI CAL I DENTI TY OF THE EUROPEANS (Uni ver si dade do M i nho, Novem ber 1999) _______________________________________________________________ The debate on Eur opean i denti ty i s bi ased by a consi der abl e degr ee of conceptual conf usi on about i denti ty i n gener al and pol i ti cal i denti ty i n par ti cul ar . Yet I w i l l not begi n w i th def i ni ti ons and r edef i ni ti ons, and w i l l r ather tr y to i ntr oduce them step by step, w henever deal i ng w i th the Eur opean questi on m akes i t necessar y. I am goi ng to r ai se f our m ai n questi on about Eur opean i denti ty: 1. I s the pol i ti cal i denti ty of the Eur opeans necessar y? 2. I s the pol i ti cal i denti ty of the Eur opeans possi bl e? 3. Ar e the Eur opeans goi ng to have an i denti ty or sever al i denti ti es? Or : w hat i s the str uctur e of thei r i denti ty l i kel y to be? 4. W hat i s the nor m ati ve content of such an i denti ty, w hat i s the pr oj ect contai ned i n i t? * * * 1. I s the pol i ti cal i denti ty of the Eur opeans necessar y? I denti ty i s an i ndi spensabl e el em ent of the Eur opean constr ucti on onl y i f thi s i s to have pol i ti cal char acter , or i n other w or ds, i f Eur ope i s to be a pol i ty (w hi ch i s not necessar i l y the sam e as to be a state). I am not ar gui ng that the EU has to becom e a f ul l pol i ti cal enti ty; and I am not goi ng to di scuss i n depth the questi on i f i ts evol uti on has al r eady r eached the stage i n w hi ch the Uni on, as a m atter of f act, r eveal s a pol i ti cal natur e. I am j ust hi ghl i ghti ng thi s essenti al , i f condi ti onal , l i nk: i f the Eur opean ci ti zens w i sh to have a pol i ti cal Uni on, they cannot r each thi s goal w i thout devel opi ng a pol i ti cal i denti ty. Ther e ar e str uctur al r easons f or thi s asser ti on: pol i ti cal i denti ty i s a condi ti on of l egi ti m acy,

w i thout l egi ti m acy ther e i s no l i f e f or pol i ti cal i nsti tuti ons, because they cannot r eckon on the ci ti zens' al l egi ance and par ti ci pati on. Pol i ti cal ar e those i nsti tuti ons that di scuss choi ces and m ake deci si ons on ul ti m ate and encom passi ng i ssues such as peace and w ar , consti tuti onal r ul es, di str i buti ve j usti ce. I n the f r am ew or k of Eur opean m ul ti l evel gover nance, the pol i ti cal deci si on- m aki ng pow er i s no l onger a m er e i nter gover nm ental i ssue that r el i es on the l egi ti m acy of nati onal gover nm ents. I t i s i ncr easi ngl y l eavi ng the nati onal capi tal s and m ovi ng to "Br ussel s", even i f l ength and am bi gui ty of the pr ocess have to be taken ser i ousl y ("Br ussel s" does not m ean excl usi vel y the Eur opean Com m i ssi on or Par l i am ent, but the r ecentl y r ei nf or ced w ei ght of the Counci l as w el l - a Counci l i ndeed w hi ch i s not si m pl y a cl ear i ng r oom am ong nati onal sel f - i nter ests, as i t acts under the com m on constr ai nt of r ei nf or ci ng the Eur ope i nsti tuti ons)(1). I n other w or ds: i f the EU becom es a m aj or deci si on- m aker i n i ts ow n capaci ty, i t can cl ai m the ci ti zens' al l egi ance and exer t i ts author i ty onl y i f they f eel they have enough thi ngs i n com m on as to abi de by the r ul es set by com m on i nsti tuti ons. Al l egi ance and par ti ci pati on m ust appear to them m eani ngf ul w i th r egar d to thei r com m on sym bol i c and nor m ati ve spher e. I n thi s sense they m ust f eel l i ke one si ngl e actor (or , phi l osophi cal l y, one subj ect). Other w i se ther e w oul d be l i ttl e sense (and no stabi l i ty of w i l l ) f or Por tuguese to pay taxes r ai sed by "Br ussel s", or f or Fr ench to endor se a r ul i ng of the Eur ope Cour t of Justi ce, or f or Bel gi ans, I tal i ans and al l the other s to r i sk thei r l i ves i n a peace- enf or ci ng oper ati on or der ed by M onsi eur Pesc. W hi l e I cannot unf ol d the w hol e theor y of l egi ti m acy and show the l i nks betw een i denti ty and i ts other el em ents, I w ant to str ess that the i ssue I have so f ar deal t w i th i s pol i ti cal l egi ti m acy i n gener al , not dem ocr ati c def i ci t. I t i s a gr ound el em ent of pol i ti cal or der , w hi ch i s not at al l l i m i ted to dem ocr aci es. Fi nal l y, i t i s al m ost super f l uous to r em em ber that i denti ty i s not j ust a pr e- condi ti on f or pol i ti cal com m uni ti es to be per cei ved as l egi ti m ate, but a consequence of i nsti tuti onal i sed com m unal l i f e as w el l . Onl y w hen the com m on val ues and i m ages have settl ed i n f or m al i nsti tuti ons and these have star ted to i m pact on ever ybody' s l i f e, i n a w ay w hi ch i s ef f ecti ve and per cei vabl e to ever ybody, the consci ence of bei ng one gr oup can f ul l y take shape and be r epr oduced thr oughout year s and gener ati ons. Not unl i ke the evol uti on of nati onal i denti ty, f or a new gr oup i denti ty to take r oots i n the ci ti zens' m i nd i t f i r st takes the deci si on of a pol i ti cal and cul tur al él i te to establ i sh new supr anati onal i nsti tuti ons and to m ake them w or k. W e can per haps say that new i nsti tuti ons ar e al w ays necessar i l y "pr em atur e" w i th r egar d to the ef f ecti ve stage of i denti ty- bui l di ng, For exam pl e, w e shoul d car ef ul l y w atch the i denti ty- bui l di ng ef f ects of the com m on cur r ency, w hi ch can be expected i n consi der ati on of the sym bol i c i m pact of m oney on our l i f e- w or l d.