The question “what is Europe ?” is very complex and has had many answers over time, as well as still being debated today.  There are many different types of definitions that one can formulate when thinking about the definition of Europe.  One of the most common is geographic. Europe is the western part of the Eurasian landmass that starts at the Atlantic and ends at the Caucasus and Ural Mountains.  This definition could be problematic, however, because these geographical boarders are not clear enough and would cut Russia in two and excludes Turkey. Another common historical definition would be based off of religion or culture, specifically dividing Europe using the criteria of Christian vs. Muslim.  This view has obviously not been held widely today.  The last historical definition was the political definition, specifically looking at the divisions of democracy vs communism.  Europe was the capitalistic west, while the eastern part of the landmass was under the influence of communism. The definition that many use today is based on the member countries within the EU. With currently 28-member states, it doesn’t encompass all of Europe, but the collective group certainty holds the most political and economic power in the region. Countries that are not part of the EU realize this and have been fighting to be added for long periods of time.  Turkey, for example, has been negotiating since 1987 to join and has been unsuccessful.  With a significant number of conditions and approval needed from all 28 countries, it is not easy to gain access into this group.  However, the fact of the matter, is that in contemporary Europe, the EU countries are thought of as the “European continent”. The people that are citizens of an EU country can consider themselves “European”. As the geographical, cultural and political definitions have become outdated over the years, the creation of the EU has taken over as the true definition of Europe.

The Czech Republic has been a member of the EU since 2004, after about 4 years of communist rule. Since 2004, this country have been the beneficiary of billions of dollars in development funds from the EU and about 84 percent of the Czech’s exports are to intra-European countries. In more recent news, they are currently trying to adopt the euro. From the evidence presented, it is clear that the Czech Republic’s idea of Europe is probably greatly influenced by being part of the EU.  Since most of their political and economic institutions are influenced by the EU, their view of Europe is likely just a view of the EU.  Czech Republic has also taken a very hard stance on the migration crisis.  This has been such a pressing issue that the Czech Republic is thinking about following Britain and starting “Czexit”, a nod to Brexit. In a study conducted by the STEM agency, about 60 percent of Czechs said they were unhappy with EU membership and 62 percent said they would vote against it in a referendum.  This reinforces that the cultural and geographic definitions of Europe still might be considered by some within the Czech population.  If they don’t want to have a quota of migrants and want to keep their European identity, their definition might be more restricted.  It is no surprise that the Czech Republic would have such a restricted view on Europe.  The EU has played such a vital role economically and politically that they want to keep it that way and keep benefiting from free trade and interconnectedness of the union, and would prefer not to have to share it with new members or people.  Even though some Czech leaders have been called euro skeptics, they still have taken on the European identity after all these years of influence, and it shows when they want to close their boarders.

Anonymous. “Czech Republic – European Union – European Commission.” European Union. September 05, 2018. Accessed September 12, 2018.

Glencross, Andrew. The Politics of European Integration. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley Blackwell, 2014.

Holehouse, Matthew. “Czech Republic ‘will Follow Britain out of EU’.” The Telegraph. February 23, 2016. Accessed September 11, 2018.

What is Europe?

Europe is a transcontinental community that is united by its shared ancestry and frequent cultural contact as a result of historical trade, which has created a set of common ideals across the various nations that make up the continent today. Historically, the biggest unifier of these various ethnicities and cultures was the rise of Christianity and the long-lasting power and influence of the church. This institution and its expansive power helped set a standard of common values and ideas and facilitated a common identity. Today its main unifier is financial, and its cooperation is maintained as result of the integration of various economies. There are many other qualities that Europe would prefer to define itself by such as its champion of liberal democracies, regard for human rights, or its role in peacekeeping but it is first and foremost held together by the interconnectedness of its economics. Another important definition of Europe is based on geography. Glencross points out that while the EU generally defines the borders of Europe by its 28 members, other organizations such as the Council of Europe define it differently and include nations which are not necessarily within the traditional border (2014). The traditional European identity is therefore based on the characteristics of EU member nations despite the fact that many countries who are within the continent’s borders are not members. Seemingly, using borders and geography to describe Europe is not the most effective definition. The political definition of Europe is based on the fact that all EU members are liberal democracies who balance each other out to make sure that no member nation is ever more powerful than another (Glencross, 2014). This political definition is supported by the strength both economically and militarily that comes with the integration of these member nations. For many decades’, nations were against the idea of forming a union and the first six were only truly convinced of the benefits after the conclusion of World War I. The integration of these six nations and the later integration of 22 more is thus defined by the shared value that there should never be atrocities inflicted like those in the Great War. Today, even those not in the EU share this same value and show it by entering other alliance treaties such as NATO and the Untied Nations. Therefore, the best definition of Europe is based on the set of shared values used as the standard for maintaining peace.

Albania and the Idea of Europe

To many, European identity is synonymous with that of the European Union. But this is not the case for Albania. Albania is a country that has long sought to become a part of the EU. Many would not consider the identity of Albania to be aligned with that of “traditional Europe” but I think that the country is simply just misunderstood. Despite not being in the EU, Albania proudly showcases its spot in Europe’s shared history and ancestry and highlights the small role it played in the Greek and Roman empires. The territory of Albania also fell under Byzantine rule, which was when it was introduced to Christianity. Albania is very much a product of its history and there are two main reasons why Albania doesn’t seem to fit the bill for the traditional European identity: religion and politics. As a result of its conquering by the Ottoman Empire, many people in Albania converted to Islam. Albania has since been dubbed a Muslim country and although 59% of the population identify as such, there is no official state religion (The World Factbook, 2018). Christianity is the second most practiced religion in the country and Mother Teresa is ethnically Albanian. Despite this, the country continues to promote its secular views as a result of its 50-year dalliance with communism in which its anti-religion campaign suppressed all forms of worship and repurposed most religious institutions into cultural centers. A 2010 Gallup poll reported that religion plays a role in the lives of only 39% of Albanians and ranks Albania the thirteenth least religious country in the world (Wikipedia). As previously mentioned, Albania fell prey to communism after the end of World War II, but before then had attempted to form a democratic government in the late 20’s. The collapse of communism revamped the democratization of the country in 1992. Because of its political structure for the better part of the 20^th century and its location to former Yugoslavia, Albania is seen as just another poor, southeastern European nation.  And while Albania has a long way to go in terms of economic growth, their misunderstood identity should not be a restriction to their entry.

Glencross, Andrew. The Politics of European Integration, 22-29.   West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, 2014.

“Religion in Albania,” Wikipedia, last modified September 9, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Albania. 

“Europe: Albania,” CIA World Factbook, last modified August 16, 2018, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/al.html.

Please respond succinctly and with evidence that is supported by relevant and reliable sources. The references (in Chicago author-date style) are not part of the max. 400 words limit.

Prompt 1) The definitions of Europe
Due: noon, Sept. 14, peer review: noon Sept. 16, final: 7pm Sept. 18 max. 400 words each
A) What is “Europe”? Where are its boundaries?
B) How does your case study relate to “the idea of Europe”?

Prompt 2) Institutions