| Germans wear 'Lederhosen,' drink beer and eat | | | | which is taken forward. It is nothing static but can be |
| sausages, are always on time, humourless and cold | | | | seen as "work in progress". The only question is where |
| blooded. The French eat croissants and baguette, | | | | to start. We all have different traditions, a different |
| wear berets and are lazy to speak another language. | | | | past and different climates and landscapes. We have |
| Italians eat Pizza and Pasta, talk loudly and are chaotic. | | | | different life styles and all speak a different language. |
| Sweden is the country of Pippi Langstrumpf and blond | | | | How are we supposed to communicate? But is it |
| girls. The British have a queen, love football and eat | | | | really necessary to have one common language and |
| fish and chips. In Holland everybody wears wooden | | | | one common tradition? Is being European not looking |
| shoes, eats cheese and rides a bike through the flat | | | | beyond our own nose and experience new things? |
| countryside with its windmills. The Spanish enjoy bull | | | | Times have changed, haven't they? People are not |
| fights, eat paella and take siesta while the Austrians | | | | spending their lives in one place anymore. They take |
| live in the mountains, wear a "Tiroler hat" and listen to | | | | their traditions and ideals with them and mingle with |
| Mozart. | | | | other people and their attitudes. That leads to a |
| Many languages, many voices, many attitudes, many | | | | development of new commonalities and new opinions. |
| different opinions, national histories and cultures. What | | | | Nowadays communities are mobile and mixed and not |
| is typical European? A complex topic which is shaped | | | | static anymore. You can find Italian and Greek |
| by contradictions and conflicts. Nevertheless, thinking | | | | restaurants in nearly every part of the world. |
| about Europe has a long tradition. It reveals a | | | | Everybody eats French cheese and drinks French |
| European self-conception and its dependency on the | | | | wine. Radios play worldly music and we learn different |
| cultural, socio-political and ethical developments. But | | | | languages at school. We have to open our minds and |
| how is Europe going to look like? Is it possible to unite | | | | see that we are not loosing anything from our history |
| people from different countries and with different | | | | and our past but that we gain a part of another history |
| histories? Every country possesses its individual charm | | | | and another past. But do we built up a unit or can we |
| which they want to keep. But does an alliance of | | | | find a common identity if people in one country are |
| countries need to include containment or a decrease | | | | already prejudiced towards each other? Take East |
| of consisting rights and situations? Should Europe not | | | | and West Germany! After now 17 years of unification |
| be a meeting point of different nationalities that are | | | | there are still conflicts and big differences in thinking |
| open for learning new languages and discovering the | | | | and behaviour. We see that we cannot create feeling |
| beauty of other cultures? A meeting point where | | | | of a European community and force people to accept |
| humans exchange experiences and opinions, where | | | | it. It has to develop by making clear that tolerance and |
| you profit from each others heritage and learn to help | | | | a view on others are necessary and that Europe does |
| one another to grow together to something bigger? | | | | not destroy the diversity of culture but tries to improve |
| European countries should not see themselves apart | | | | the interpersonal relationships. Somebody once said |
| from the rest. People should discover that there are | | | | that Europe is a phase; it is progress, movement and |
| more advantages than open borders when going on | | | | standstill at the same time. It creates possibilities and |
| holiday. They have to experience Europe as a | | | | chances. It is a feeling and somehow like a rainbow |
| community and a unit, not only in an economic sense. | | | | presenting a richness of different colours in one single |
| They need to see the positive effects and | | | | thing or like a salad bowl where all ingredients are |
| opportunities that are offered. Europe should not be | | | | mixed together but still keep their originality. |
| just a point in the discussions of politicians but a project | | | | |