The European Union is an instrument of policy, not a policy in itself. It is a tool rather than an objective. But then, what is the objective? What is the overarching goal of the EU? Are EU states truly united in their diversity or are they wandering along aimlessly and thus suffering from vulnerability? So long as Europe does not have a shared European political culture then the EU is the end in itself, it is simply self serving in an attempt to survive as long as possible. Hence our endless march towards integration, without a shared political culture the European elites cant think of, or agree on wider goals that may be less divisive and more beneficial. They are worried that if Europe was ever to become 'two speed' then it would loose this one thing that gives it cohesiveness and fall apart.

The European Union is so vast that cultures and attitudes differ greatly, and it is natural for people to feel a stronger affiliation to their individual countries. It is easier to quantify Englishness, Frenchness etc than it is to establish a notion of what is it to be European. Individual countries have their own sport teams and individuals to rally behind and get patriotic about, whereas the only time people can get behind a "team Europe" is golfs Ryder Cup, which many people put down to anti American sentiment rather than any sort of European pride. Each country also has their own saints days and other national events to celebrate which is something else that Europe as a whole does not have to unite its many citizens.

Any definition of a nation is difficult, if I live in England does that make me English, my parents are Scottish, so am I a Scot? most people would agree that I am British... except perhaps republicans in Northern Ireland. On the other hand I do feel a strong sense of European culture, so I can consider myself European. Being European however is that not part of Western Civilistion as a whole? Moreover we can also have smaller identities too, I could consider myself an Aberdonian (someone from Aberdeen). So defining our identity is difficult, our culture is built over hundereds of years and the community we are a part of is very much up to us. Identities refering to support of teams is equally fluid, many people will support both a hometown team, a larger team because they do well and the national team... yet in the Olympics we have a British team and in football each member nation has a team, so the sentiments behind support for teams cannot be taken as a definition of identity.

The EU has a strong shared political culture: all of its member states are full liberal democracies who respect the rule of law and have excellent human rights records as outlined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights^[1]. Of course there are going to be differences between the member states but their political culture is one thing they all agree strongly about. When the Iron Curtain fell, the EU outlined democracy and human rights standards that had to be maintained in order to be accepted into the European Union, i.e. the so-called 'Copenhagen Criteria'. The EU will only accept new members who adhere to these criteria and fully respect human rights which is why application for membership for some states has not yet occurred, such as Turkey.

1. ^ http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/unit/charte/index_en.html

The EU is also an institution that has facilitated peace between its member states for over half a century and arguably has ensured a strong security regime between members and has reduced the possibility of member states going to war significantly. Originally set out as the European Coal and Steel Coalition with just six members as a force to ensure peace between member states - most importantly at the time, France and Germany. The EU has more than surpassed this goal in terms of instilling constraints against member states going to war with one another.

EU member states are also all capitalist and have a shared interest in furthering economic development and stability, which the EU is very good at: look how robust the Euro was when the credit crunch rendered other currencies much weaker.

Over the past two decades, there has been a significant increase in the portion of EU citizens who feel a 'European' identity alongside with their national identity. A sense of European unity arose originally from an affiliation with European values. The 'shared history' arises from the influence of Ancient Greece and Rome, the Renaissance, the Age of Enlightenment, Liberalism, Christianity, and secularism^[1]. A European culture is often seen in terms of 'high culture', although some do argue that the Eurovision Song Contest, the Champions League and the Uefa Cup. Competition between member states is healthy and generally good natured. The EU has traditionally 'national' forms of identity also, such as the European flag, the anthem - Ode to Joy, a slogan - 'Unity in Diversity' as well as a Europe Day on 9th May.

1. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-European_identity