What Does it Mean to be European?

When Britain left the European Union in 2016, many people reassured themselves that we nonetheless remained European. We had exited an organization, a bloc, but retained our identity, if not our citizenship, as part of Europe. In reality, Britain has always had a “semi-detached” attitude toward Europe as something across the Channel. A famous if somewhat apocryphal newspaper headline, after severe fog struck the Channel, exemplified the feeling by exclaiming “Europe cut off by Fog.” It was not that this small island could find itself isolated by the weather, but rather this vast stretch of land with its myriad nations was cut off from us.

Even during Britain’s membership in the EU, many member states longed for stronger engagement from UK politicians and institutions. This sense of not quite being part of the club was portrayed when the Czech artist David Cerny presented his installation, Entropa, to hang in the European Council building in Brussels during Czech’s 2007 EU presidency.  His irreverent look at the stereotypes of each country drew great criticism, along with a sneaking sense that he had somehow captured some, if not all, of the funny side of how countries were seen. So, Romania as a Dracula style theme park, Denmark with Lego bricks, Sweden as an IKEA self-assembly kit, all brought wry smiles. If those seem familiar labels, then the UK should be viewed through the same lens. It was represented by an empty space. Not even semi-detached, it just wasn’t there at all.

The belief in democracy, human rights, and fairness is the cornerstone on which the EU was built, and it stems from the desire to promote those values inside and beyond Europe.

Since Brexit many Brits have grappled with what it means to be part of Europe but not its trading, political or security groupings. We don’t speak their languages, watch European TV (other than Scandi police or political dramas), we no longer work there in the numbers we did, or have the opportunities as school children and students we once had. We still buy much of our food from mainland Europe but not many really notice. Since 1688, Britain has had a continuous history of reform, without revolution, civil war, military disaster of the 20th century tyrannies of Nazism, communism or fascism, and no change to its external borders. To many people in Britain, the EU was an alien intrusion into a proud history. Arguably what Brexit did was confirm for many, especially those in the towns and villages of England and Wales, what was already true: Europe was a holiday destination, nothing more.

For others the rush to find ways to retain family connection with the prized EU red passport has eased the sense of losing something fundamental to who we are, and more importantly, who we aspired to be. Connected to each other.

The World War II generation understood the consequences of our failure to stand together and to allow those who seek the path of tyranny and chaos to fool us with winning smiles and easy slogans.

All this matters very little. The sense of belonging is based less on geography and more on the fundamentals of what kind of people we aspire to be. To be European is not just to live in a place, but to hold the same values and ideals. The belief in democracy, human rights, and fairness is the cornerstone on which the EU was built, and it stems from the desire to promote those values inside and beyond Europe. What is missing is the vision and the narrative that makes these values come alive, make sense, and define our actions. The stories we tell might vary depending on the political hue of center, left, or right, but the fundamentals of what we want should be common to all. Fairer societies mean lifting children out of poverty, looking after the elderly, offering opportunity to get on in life. To do that we need strong trading partners, sensible policies to protect us from harm (in all its forms), good housing, quality education and healthcare, and much more. How we achieve our goals might divide us into different political parties, but not the goals themselves. 

The World War II generation understood the consequences of our failure to stand together and to allow those who seek the path of tyranny and chaos to fool us with winning smiles and easy slogans. Lessons learnt but easily forgotten in times when so many feel they are battling to get their voices heard and where every day is an exhausting struggle. But the 21st century vision of what it is to be European should be the determination to continue the journey embarked upon by those who had seen war and destruction. It is why the transatlantic relationship is so important, and why we stand together to say, “never again.”

Baroness Catherine Ashton is the former vice president of the European Commission and high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. She is a Wilson Center distinguished fellow.