What does it mean to be "European" today? @PetersonInstitute

Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

The idea of Europe as a community emerged many centuries ago, but its meaning keeps changing—to Europeans and non-Europeans alike. Juliet Johnson has pioneered research on the changing role of European symbols such as the 12-starred flag, designed in the 1950s and formally adopted by European institutions in the 1980s. Intriguingly, shifts in meaning have often first occurred on Europe’s eastern side, before being adopted by Europe's western “core.”

What does it mean to be European today, in a fast-changing geopolitical environment and amid debates on which new member countries the European Union may incorporate? Can longstanding and newer EU members share similar visions of Europeanness? How do changing identities affect EU policies and market outcomes?

HOST

Nicolas Véron
Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE)

GUEST

Juliet Johnson
Professor of Political Science, McGill University

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