Europe Des Cultures/Europe of Cultures – serie

The present book intends to critically examine the paths taken by the EU for cultural questions and how it integrates it into the whole of its parts. This means describing, explaining and evaluating the objectives, the nature, the extent and the impact of European interventions in cultural matters in order to understand in what measure European law assumes, respects, protects and promotes the multidimensionality of cultural policies, and, in fine, culture itself. Le présent ouvrage entend interroger de manière critique les voies par lesquelles l’Union européenne s’empare de la question culturelle et l’intègre dans l’ensemble de ses composantes. Il s’agit donc de décrire, d’expliquer et d’évaluer les objectifs, la nature, la portée et l’impact des interventions européennes en matière culturelle afin de comprendre dans quelle mesure le droit européen assume, respecte, protège et promeut la multidimensionnalité des politiques culturelles et, in fine, de la culture elle-même.

In the third decade of the 21st century, Europe is facing several serious challenges to its prosperity and freedom. Those include economic, financial and productive decline compared to the rest of the world, demographic stagnation, the effects of climate change, energy dependence from other continents and exclusion from technological innovations.This book proposes the creation of a federal European state that would replace and succeed the EU, its member states and other willing European countries. This is the only way for Europe to successfully address all those challenges and stay at centre stage in world affairs, in the century of globalization, climate change and the fourth industrial revolution. But addressing Europe’s existential challenges is not the only reason to move in that direction. A federal Europe would also become a major, self-sufficient geopolitical power, as strong as orstronger than the USA, Russia or China. It would be a model for other regional federations around the planet.The book is not restricted to the analysis of why we need a federal European state but further suggests substantial policies for many different sectors: economy, banking, foreign affairs, defence, education, health, social security, immigration, human rights, agriculture, fourth industrial revolution, circular economy and climate – to name some of them. At the end, it presents a rough budget estimation to show that such a federation would not only be desirable but also be feasible.

Europe has to come to terms with its increasing cultural diversity. In current debate migration is typically presented merely as a social burden. This book envisions a future in which ‘native’ Europeans and those with a migrant background – together the New Europeans – come to the conclusion that they should build a new society jointly.An inclusive European society can be generated by launching a common project as an alternative to neoliberalism, developing an economy that is at the service of society. For this, democratic ownership should be the lever. In that process, migrants will be important and resilient catalysts. The book sets out a roadmap for what the future could look like, presenting a vision of Europe at the end of the 21st century as a ‘real Utopia’.This book bucks the trend of depressing accounts on migration from outside Europe. It offers a promissory narrative for the continent’s long-term future. Drawing on political, sociological, economic and philosophical insights, the author sticks his neck out, provokes perhaps, but always with the invitation for a constructive dialogue.