Abstract
Two straightforward questions are posed in this article—does nationalism pose a problem for the European Union? Does the EU undermine nationalism? Like many basic questions in politics, it is easy to formulate the questions and very difficult to answer them. Disagreements are inevitable about the answers and plausible objections may be made to all of them.
It is not possible to envisage, in the foreseeable future, a Europe in which nationalism is eradicated. Until some equally powerful political doctrine or belief emerges, the preservation of democratic institutions probably requires that basic loyalty to the nation and nation state should not be seriously undermined. But in certain areas of policy, nationalism represents a problem for the European Union, a problem which will probably become more difficult in an enlarged EU. More generally, it represents a latent threat to the cohesion of the Union.
The article is organized in four sections: first, a brief introduction to nationalism, nations and national identity; second, an assessment of the importance of nationalism in contemporary European politics; third, a view on the controversy about whether European integration poses a threat to the European nations; and finally the implications for the EU of the persistence of nationalism.
In conclusion, the result of the persistence of nationalism is that the “permissive consensus” supporting European integration has disappeared. Any democratic consultation on important additional powers to EU institutions will be highly controversial and the result uncertain. It is also clear that the European Union cannot, in its final form, be modelled on the nation state, even if there may be a certain superficial resemblance in the symbolism-with an EU flag, anthem, constitution, currency, etc. The emotionally charged identification of individuals with a language and a history, a nation and a state cannot be replicated at the European level. This does not, however, justify pessimism about the future of the European Union.
