No Man Is an Island, Entire of Itself

Interview

The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, spoke with Open Citizenship about the future of European identity and how to bring back enthusiasm for the European project. Schulz is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. He has been the leader of the Socialists in the European Parliament since 2004.

As the current president of the European Parliament, do you identify yourself as German or European?

I identify myself both as German and European. There is no contradiction between the two. Germany is my homeland, my origin, while Europe has become my destiny.

As the president of the European Parliament, I act to protect the interests of all European Union member states, so in this sense I am European. But during the European football championships, I naturally supported the German team.

The European Parliament is supposed to represent the European people. Do these people actually exist? And do they include long-term, third-country nationals who don’t have the right to vote in European Parliamentary elections?

Several recent events demonstrated the existence of the European demos. Opposition to the Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement (or ACTA) mobilised millions of people across the European Union. The debate on ACTA was unprecedentedly intensive and it transcended national borders.

Secondly, the sovereign-debt crisis has made Europeans realise how interdependent they are. We are increasingly aware that – to quote British poet John Donne – “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent.” Economic troubles in one country affect what happens in another country. People understand more and more that only together can they solve our problems or play a significant role on the global stage.

Many of the long-term, third-country nationals are becoming Europeans by adopting customs and certain ways of thinking. Although, the right to vote for them is a matter of national legislation. Nationals of one EU country who live in another can vote in local and European elections.

The last year has seen the largest street protests in Europe in years. Young people all over Europe have united in their criticism against capitalism and the austerity policies of the EU. Do we see here a European identity developing on the basis of being against the EU project?

It is not true that public anger was predominantly directed at the EU. People were protesting against growing poverty, increasing unemployment and lack of opportunities, but I don’t believe that they saw the EU as the main reason for their woes. Without EU aid, the economic situation in the countries affected by the crisis would have been much, much worse. It is natural that countries cannot live beyond their means. It is also natural that when you lend money to somebody, you don’t want to see the money squandered. The EU, partly under pressure from the European Parliament, is recalibrating its response to the crisis towards more pro-growth solutions. It is most unfortunate that in some countries, cynical and populist politicians are trying to score political points on human misery, preaching nationalism and blaming the EU. In 1930s, national egoism was a response to the Great Depression. We remember how that ended.

In your May 2012 Humboldt University speech, you said that your dream of a “United States of Europe” is over. Instead, you depicted the future of Europe as marked by national identities, national diversity and nation-states. In what respect is there still a need for European identity?

A European identity is absolutely needed. It should complement a national one, not replace it. The nation-state will never completely give way to a united Europe, and national identities will never be completely subsumed into a European identity. We will remain hybrids, with regional, national and European aspects to our identity. If we ever begin to lose sight of this, football is always there to remind us. European identity is needed to compliment other identities.

In your presidential inauguration speech, you said that you want to bring back to Europe the enthusiasm for the EU project that you’ve experienced abroad. What narrative legitimizing the EU could win over the younger generation, which takes many freedoms for granted?

The lifeblood of this democracy is the creativity and enthusiasm of its people, above all young people, and their feeling that they have a stake in its future. In parts of Southern Europe, youth unemployment has reached 50%. However, even with vital reform in those countries, unemployment has created a feeling of hopelessness among young people, which scares me. Their lack of prospects is threatening our entire economic system. We must reverse this. We need to create the job and training opportunities for young people and allow young people to believe in Europe again.

I believe that civil society has this power. I recently called for the introduction of a system of European voluntary service, through which lived-experience of what European integration actually means could be passed on to young people. Young people are quite rightly calling for a new, forward-looking rationale for European integration. A rationale that harks back only to the past is no longer sufficient.

The onus is therefore now on European and national institutions to support the development of a European civil society, whether by introducing a system of European voluntary service, by stepping up exchanges between pupils, trainees, students and journalists, or simply by listening very closely to what civil society has to say to us.

The EU hosts some 25 million non-EU citizens. What is their role in the future EU?

Non-EU citizens have a fundamental role to play in European society and the economy. They contribute economically and very often culturally to enrich the European Union. Their role in the future will be to continue to demonstrate that the EU is an attractive place to settle, where people can fulfil their dreams. The non-national population in the EU is dominated by young adults and inevitably their economic potential will be fundamental to the EU’s economic performance.