Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ: Cultural Heritage

What do You mean with "European perspective'?

What do you mean with 'European perspective'?
The European perspective was until the defeat of the EU Constitutional Treaty in 2005 by the voters in France and the Netherlands a perspective which made possible the social cohesion in Europe and the going beyond mere national frameworks. As such it would mean until now European integration meant entering into something larger than the nation state but not restricting Europe at this higher, equally more abstract level for which Brussels became a symbol, to a nineteenth century like concept of ‘state’.
Certainly the best expression of the European perspective is the Basic Charter of European values which citizens can demand that both the nation states and the EU institutions uphold. As such the European Convention took up the dialogue with Civil Society to find out how to integrate these values into a legal framework able to bring all citizens of Europe together. In terms of the European Parliament as it would mean making European reform a true expression of democracy in Europe and while coming to terms at treaty level with the 25 member states.
Unfortunately the European perspective based also on the dream of open borders like Goethe used to know when travelling from Weimar to Palermo was replaced by the notion of sheer expansion without ensuring that the citizens have a perspective to unfold their personalities within this new construct. Right now it seems as if the European perspective has been lost and therefore especially people in Holland question the extra value to be gained from having the European Union. Without regaining a European perspective, it is clear that there will be no European debate to express public opinion as guidance in which direction Europe should develop in.
A perspective could be given if such a debate would have to take place at horizontal level between all people in support of active citizenship and thereby in not leaving European decisions to be the exclusive privilege of the so-called ‘elite’: the representatives of the representatives of national governments acting in a legal void and apart from democratic accountability. If the European Parliament can be reformed to have full responsibility for the European budget, then the European perspective would become more concrete.
As work in progress as expression of democracy in Europe can be anticipated if a learning process allows the participation of everyone while giving access to a common provided European identity. This common identity should be derived from being based on a common cultural heritage and and extended by forms of cultural governance to use offing cultural consensus as innovative way to make decisions in agreement with all basis of all decision making processes.

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