Europe’s true stories

This article, written by Oxford Professor Timothy Garton Ash for ‘Prospect’, outlines six goals that he believes should shape the European narrative which the EU presents to its citizens.

The author begins by saying that “Europe has lost the plot” and that as we approach the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, it “no longer knows what story it wants to tell”.

Ash suggests that we need a new narrative based on the six strands of freedom, peace, law, prosperity, diversity and solidarity. However, he says that although we often fall a long way short of these aspirations, falling short “is itself part of our new story and must be spelled out”. 

The paper’s account of European togetherness is not based on unity or power, rather, the author’s narrative is “an honest, self-critical account of progress (very imperfect progress, but progress none the less) from different pasts towards shared goals which could constitute a common future”. Each strand identified by the author is analysed in turn, including criticism of each. 

The author says that: “Woven together, the six strands will add up to an account of where we have come from and a vision of where we want to go.” Finally, he concludes the paper by saying: “Our new Europe will not generate ’emotional fire’; Europeans today are not called upon to die for Europe. Most of us are not even called upon to live for Europe. All that is required is that we should let Europe live.”