HOW HAS THE EUROPEAN IDENTITY BEEN ARTICULATED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION? A case study

Abstract

The concept of European identity is a debatable topic in Europe. There have been several studies about European identity’s function and of its content, whereas the European Commission has tried to protect and maintain its common identity in Europe through peace and crises. However, there is limited research and problem on how the European Commission has expressed and articulated European identity during a modern coherent period. Therefore, this thesis aims to examine how the European Commission has articulated the European identity by the three recent Commission presidents José Manuel Barroso, Jean-Claude Juncker and Ursula von der Leyen between 2010- 2019. The thesis theoretical framework is based on Gerard Delanty`s theories of thin and thick European identity divided into four models of European identity: Moral universalism, European post-national universalism, European cultural particularism and European pragmatism. The thesis is analysing the articulation of a European identity in state of the Union and political agenda speeches provided by the three recent Commission-presidents, in relation to Gerard Delanty`s theories of European identity which is considered unexamined research. The result in relation to Delanty`s identity models, led to the conclusion where Barroso articulated European identity from the perspective of European post-national Universalism and European Pragmatism. Juncker had a moral universalistic and European cultural particularistic perspective and Von der Leyen is speaking of European identity from a moral universalistic perspective.