Europe's soul and soil, grandeur and culture: Sydon, Gorty, Athens, the era from Cicero to Marcus Aurelius, cities along the Via Regia, St. Petersburg, Berlin, Venice, London, Prague, Lisbon, Serajevo, Budapest, Vienna, Trieste, Edinburgh, ...…. “Her journey was so remarkable, the whole landmass west of her home country is named Europa in honor of her” writes Stephen Fry in Mythos. People outside Europe say “I’m from the US”, “I’m from Africa”, “I’m Rus”, “I’m from China”. Europeans say the idea of Europe brings us the coffeehouses, salons, monasteries and universities where conversations and discussions take place and where ideas are born, which benefit societies in a spiritual, artistic, literary and social sense.
Continue to focus on enlargement: the European Neighborhood Policy translates the EU's wish to build on common interests with partner countries of the East and South and commitment to work jointly in key priority areas, including in the promotion of democracy, rule of law, respect for human rights, and social cohesion. Strengthening the state and societal resilience of the EU's partners is a key priority in the face of threats and pressures they are experiencing, including the challenges associated with migration and mobility.
Come up with common political agreements (eg. on pollution, energy, border control)
Complete unfinished business (euro unit, Schengenacquis, ...)
Full role on the "Grand Chessboard": the EU Global Strategy sets out the EU's core interests and principles for engaging in the wider world and gives the Union a collective sense of direction. Its ambition is to make Europe stronger: an even more united and influential actor on the world stage that keeps citizens safe, preserves our interests, and upholds our values. The EU Global Strategy (committed to multilateralism) helps makes our Union more effective in confronting energy security, migration, climate change, violent extremism, and hybrid warfare
Continue to build on European authority (transgovernmental method?). The European Union is nor a fully internationally recognized single political entity, neither a replica of a nation-state or central government, but a group of cooperating states that retain their independence. The construction is an antidote to the extreme nationalism and a supranational body to handle interests as well as to extent prosperity by pooling some of national 'sovereignty' in areas where it makes sense to work together. |