From Peace Project to a Lived Reality

The following report reflects an academic discussion and a series of ideas presented at GA’s Events. GA is a platform for academics, students, and young professionals to share their ideas regarding international relations and history. We do not take a position but seek to further platform intellectual debate and discussion.

On May 18th, GA! Think Tank presented a special event with Dr. Marloes Beers about the EU –covering topics such as identity, borders, bureaucracy, and criticism of the EU. The debate followed a screening of three short films, which touched upon these themes. This event was made possible by EUPlatoform, who have sponsored the event and drinks following it. Below is a report of the key ideas and points of discussion that arose from this event.

Contrasting Visions of Europe

The screening of the films began with the picture Europe through the Generations, produced by the Council of the EU in 2015. It showed the origins of European integration through the lens of the founding fathers of Europe – Robert Schuman, Alcide De Gasperi, Paul-Henri Spaak, Jean Monnet, and Konrad Adenauer.

Family members, colleagues, or friends of these important men presented the lives and the peaceful ideals of the founding fathers and how their efforts led to the first attempts at economic and political unification. The film suggested that without these men and their aspirations, the EU would not be where it is now.

The second Norwegian film, Play Schengen, directed by Gunhild Enger in 2020, showed the EU through a completely different lens – video game creation. This absurd comedy follows a small gaming studio creating an informative game for children about borders within the EU using birds.

The absurdity of birds having to obtain visas to travel and avoid bureaucracy highlighted that the EU is not only a peace project, but it is also imperfect. This was reflected in the end of the movie, where the creators’ debate is interrupted by a bird in the studio – a dove. Rather ironically, the universal symbol of peace is killed in the attempt to be caught.

The film projection concluded with a Spanish short from 2020, Terra Firma,written by Blanca Doménech. A young Spanish woman from rural Spain describes feeling betrayed by the EU and its regulations, which are killing the countryside. In her monologue, she explains her disillusionment from the gap between promises and reality by the EU and how the only people profiting from it are in the cities.

“Europe’s one big scam!” With these words, she ends her critique of the EU, instead focusing on the town’s celebration of the Virgin Mary, which calms her. For the young woman, this event serves as an ‘antithesis’ to her view of the EU.

Deconstructing the narratives: Peace, Bureaucracy and Borders

After the break, Dr. Marloes Beers presented her key takeaways and contextualized the films. Firstly, the first picture showed primarily a seemingly perfect picture of the European Union. This situation is understandable, as it was produced by the Council of the EU during the tumultuous mid-2010s, where the EU was facing an unprecedented identity crisis.

The founding fathers were shown almost as ‘saints’ because of their peaceful ideals. But was Europe built solely on peace? The first project was not only driven by the desire for peace but also by joint economic motivations, which was manifested even in its name – the European Coal and Steel Community. The context of the Cold War and the existence of NATO were also omitted by the motion picture.

The criticism of bureaucracy and of the EU in Terra Firma painted a completely contrasting picture of the European project. But is bureaucracy such a problem? The EU is often portrayed as this overbureaucratic organization that complicates citizens’ lives with endless and pointless regulations.

However, considering that the members of the EU have approximately 450 million inhabitants and 60 thousand of them are civil servants, the number of bureaucrats is rather small. The regulations must be contextualized, since to achieve a common market, it  must have clear rules and regulations – without them, it would cease to exist.

Finally, the concept of “borders for birds” in Play Schengen demonstrated a crucial feature of Europe. While the Schengen Area abolished border controls and effectively erased physical borders between many European nations, it did not erase our imagined borders.

Citing a map by Norman Davies, Dr. Beers illustrated that while certain borders are defined by geography or historical events, others are defined by economics and culture. These borders continue to exist in our minds, whether or not they have been formally erased by the EU.

The Audience weighs in

Following the presentation, the audience broke into small groups to debate the topics raised by the films and Dr. Beers. The event concluded with statements from each group sharing their key takeaways.

Hidden borders

The most interesting takeaways included that not only do borders between different parts of Europe and the nations within Europe exist, but also within the countries themselves. These divisions can show through cultural, economic, or even linguistic divides. Language and culture are one of the greatest dividers and can be observed by everyone. While they do not prevent cooperation – they can also show what is in and what is out of Europe.

National problems?

The audience also pointed out well that the feelings of betrayal and dying countryside shown in Terra Firma are not just a problem of the EU but also a larger problem in the nations themselves. The EU is often used as a scapegoat by people when its actual power to overcome these problems can lie with the member states themselves. Countries such as Spain have large urban centres such as Madrid or Barcelona, which are prosperous thanks to industry or tourism, compared to the poorer rural areas in the centre of the peninsula, which are dependent on agriculture.

Good regulations

Regulations can be seen as negative, but without them, EU citizens would, for example, not have the right to demand compensation for a cancelled flight or be able to call home from abroad for the same price as they do at home. Which brings us to the last problem.

Problems with the image

These achievements by the EU are often not exhibited as well as the failures. Despite the transparency, the EU can seem distant to people and unintelligible, thereby creating scepticism. The technocratic and elitist image also does not help to sell all of the achievements, which can be easily overlooked.

Conclusion

The event demonstrated that the EU continues to evoke a wide variety of perspectives and emotions. Through the contrasting perceptions presented in the films and the subsequent discussion, the audience could reflect on the EU not only as a historical peace project but also as a contemporary political reality that is still shaped by questions of identity, bureaucracy, borders, and more.

There was no single conclusion, but rather, the discussion highlighted the importance of critical debate and exchange of opinions when discussing the future of Europe and European integration.

We at GA! Think Tank would like to thank Dr. Marloes Beers for her excellent contribution and for helping create an open and engaging discussion surrounding one of the most important political projects in contemporary Europe. We also extend our thanks to the EUPlatform, whose sponsorship made this event possible.