What is Europe

What is Europe? Where are its boundaries?

Defining “Europe” is a more complicated process than how it may at first seem. From a geographic lens, it could be defined west to east as the landmass from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ural Mountains of Russia and from north to south as the Arctic Ocean to the Mediterranean. However, the parameters of what constitutes Europe go beyond mere geography. It has an intrinsic political, historical, cultural, and even religious component. Despite its now diverse population, Europe has been built from Christian ideals. In fact, Glencross attributes this Christian identity as a major factor in differentiating Europe from outsiders. However, as Christianity became divided by the Reformation of the seventeenth and eighteenth century, the sovereign state came into play and, with it, the idea of a republican order. Diplomatic peace projects such as William Penn’s international congress and Abbot Saint Pierre’s Project for Perpetual Peace in Europe brought forward the idea of collective security, but did not come into effect. Immanuel Kant’s Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Essay brought in a new definition of Europe, one which rests on the principle of popular sovereignty. Today, a liberal democratic system is a core requirement of becoming a member of the European Union.

The idea of Europe:

Plovdiv, Bulgaria is considered by some to be the oldest city in Europe. Despite its strong historical roots to Europe, Bulgaria did not become a European Union member state until January 2007. Due to its close proximity to the Soviet Union, the country fell into communist control post-World War II which the EU united partially to defend against. However, after implementing reforms, the augmentation of its market economy, and the acknowledging its commitment to human rights Bulgaria signed the Treaty of Ascension in 2005 after becoming a member of NATO in 2004. Its involvement in NATO demonstrates the county’s commitment to collective security. Furthermore, Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic in which the head of the executive has limited powers. Thus, Bulgaria fulfills the “European” mold, and EU requirement, of having a liberal democratic government.

Bulgaria also is a predominantly Christian nation, with the majority of believers being Bulgarian Orthodox. The nation has been dominated by Christianity since it became the state religion in 865. This ties Bulgaria to the idea of a united, Christian Europe.

One seemingly small, but hugely important way in which Bulgaria is a part of Europe is its desire to be. The European Union is an institution which countries join voluntarily. Bulgaria has proven its dedication to be a part of this united Europe in two main ways. Firstly, the country is currently in the process of joining the Schengen zone, demonstrating a desire to be further incorporated into Europe. Secondly, through its push to join the Eurozone. Currently, Bulgaria uses the lev as currency, but hopes to change this by the end of the year. This demonstrates an economic and political move to integrate more fully into European identity.

Bibliography:

Andrew Glencross. 2014. Politics of European Integration: Political Union or a House Divided?

Wiley-Blackwell.

Silvio Amaro. “Amid Brexit and Rising Populism—there’s still a country that’s desperate to join

the euro,” CNBC, 23 April 2018. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/23/bulgaria-the-european-country-still-hoping-to-join-the-euro.html