Pan-Europeanism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pan-Europeanism refers to a normative belief in some form of European geopolitical entity, or political organisation or policy at a European level. Although, for instance, many people in Europe believe it shares some cultural and ethical values, pan-Europeanism implies political action on that basis - their inclusion in the European Constitution, for instance.

In the strict sense, pan-Europeanism is a form of pan-nationalism seeking some form of European state. Early pan-Europeanist organisations, such as the early International Paneuropean Union, competed with other pan-nationalist ideals such as pan-Germanism. After the Second World War, the European Economic Community and its successor the European Union came to be seen as the only path to European integration, and other pan-Europeanist ideas were marginalised.

Recently, the term pan-European has been used within the European Union, to designate activities at EU, rather than national, level. The 2009 European elections, for instance are only open to pan-European political parties, although most of them are alliances of existing national parties.

Some white nationalists use the term for a definition of 'white' that includes all European ethnic groups - as opposed to earlier racial definitions which usually excluded southern Europeans, Irish and Slavs.