The European Union and its Citizens: Belonging together? : A Case Study of European Identity within the Europe for Citizens Programme 2014-2020

Sammanfattning: In recent years, the European Union has faced increased Euroscepticism and Nationalism. Fostering a sense of belonging of European citizens to and with the EU is crucial to ensuring its legitimacy. However, the EU stays relatively silent on the issue of European identity and how this identity is envisaged. Is the EU a purely political community or does it also have a cultural dimension? The Europe for Citizens Program offers a unique approach in uniting both dimensions of European identity under its objectives of fostering European remembrance and promoting civic participation by connecting them to the practice of active citizenship. This case study analyzed the conceptions of European Identity within the Europe for Citizens Program 2014-2020 and what role active citizenship plays in this context. Although the current program generation does not include an objective to foster European identity, this study found that promoting and constructing this identity in a civic and cultural dimension is a prominent part of the program. Through active participation of European citizens, a sense of belonging to and with the Union is supposed to be created. Europeans are said to belong to a political community that is based on shared cultural values that entail more than just a purely civic dimension.