At the end of the two great wars of the last century, European countries formed a partnership based on peace and shared fundamental values for their citizens. These include: “the respect for individual rights and inclusion, justice, respect for cultures, languages, and a common commitment to making people’s lives more peaceful”.
As a result of the Maastricht Treaty of 1992, in which the Three Fundamental Pillars of the then European Community were exalted, one of the many points of shared Community values concerned free movement between Member States and a shared policy for the management of immigration from EU and non-EU countries.
In 2007, the Lisbon Treaty abolished the so-called ‘Three Pillars’. Instead, it redistributed competencies within the Member States, once again strengthening the democratic principle of Europe and the protection of fundamental rights for its citizens. The European Union was born.
In 2012, the European Union was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The motivation for the award reads: “For more than six decades, he has contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe“.
The Europe Around – where it was born and Why
Over 70 years have passed since the first agreements between European states on a policy of equality, individual rights and preserving people’s lives and cultures.
- What remains today of those fundamental values?
- How has European culture changed with the advent and management of immigration in recent decades?
- What does it mean to ‘feel European’ today?
- What ‘IS’ Europe today?
Through fieldwork in the streets, squares, and among the locals, The Europe Around seeks answers to these questions. And it wants to do so by starting with some major European cities that owe their history, or nature, to their society’s multi-ethnic capacity.
Le tappe – e i workshop – di The Europe Around
