This is my story of Europe’s path from conflict to co-operation, from war to relative peace, and of the movement towards greater unity among European countries.
I spent my childhood in the shadow of war, but my professional life has been involved, in one way or another, with this European project. My personal life too has evolved in a European context, for I have visited most countries of the continent and lived in five of them.
Basically, I have come to feel“European”. This is partly because I enjoy moving around between European countries and meeting people from many different backgrounds. I have an advantage in that languages usually come quite easily to me; sometimes I make do even when I only have a smattering of the language in question, and this too can lead to interesting contacts.
Moreover, my culture is essentially European. We all have different views of what“culture” means, and I can only speak for myself. As an amateur pianist, music is important to me, and music transcends national boundaries. I think particularly of Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven– all Germanic composers– but since I like accompanying I also enjoy the English song tradition from Purcell to Benjamin Britten. My favourite operas include Mozart’s“Magic Flute” and Richard Strauss’“Rosenkavalier”.
As for literature: in my school days we studied the great English authors. Chaucer, Milton, Shakespeare and the“King James” edition of the Bible remain for me the foundations of the English language. Then– specialising in Modern Languages– I studied the French and German classics in the original. Other classics, particularly the Russians, I read in translation. More recently I have discovered Spanish literature in the original (this includes twentieth-century South American writers).
I also enjoy art– painting– though I am no expert in the field. Living in Belgium, there has been plenty of opportunity to see the works of the Flemish primitives and of the Dutch school, particularly in the Groninge and Memling Museum in Bruges and the Mauritshuis in The Hague. To my mind, two of the most wonderful paintings in the world are Van Eyck’s“Mystic Lamb” in Ghent cathedral (which I first saw when it was in the original chapel for which it was painted) and Rembrandt’s“Prodigal Son” in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.
These– to quote a certain musical comedy– are“some of my favourite things”. Not that European culture necessarily excludes others: I practice yoga and Tai Chi, and even qualified as a teacher of Ikebana (Japanese-style flower arrangement). And as I said, everyone can have a different view. I am well aware that that I benefited from an excellent education, and that most of the subsequent young generations will not have had that advantage. On the other hand, they can travel much more easily, and may thus acquire other European references.
In the lengthy discussions which finally produced the“Lisbon Treaty”– which I discuss in my last chapter– there was difficulty in defining European values. The French ex-President Giscard d’Estaing, who chaired those talks, wanted to put in references going back to Europe’s Greco-Roman origins (he even wanted a citation from Thucydides, in Greek, at the very beginning– hardly likely to have much popular appeal). He also wanted to stress the values of the Enlightenment, while other participants insisted on mention of God and the Judeo-Christian tradition.
It seems obvious to me that, whatever one’s religious stance, one cannot ignore the role of Christianity in Europe’s history: it permeates our literature, art and music, and there is a church or cathedral at the heart of every village, town and city. But clearly, at the present time, mention of a particular religion can be divisive. So the Preamble to the Treaty, as finally adopted, states:
“Drawing inspiration from the cultural, religious and humanist inheritance of Europe, from which have developed the universal values of the inviolable and inalienable rights of the human person, freedom, democracy, equality and the rules of law… the Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail.”[1]
These are principles well worth stating. The European Union and its Member States have laws and institutions which should ensure their respect. The same cannot be said for all other parts of the world: not yet, regrettably, for Russia and some other countries at that end of the continent, though they share in so much of the culture of the rest of Europe.
This European stance does not mean that I give unqualified support to all that happens in“Brussels”, and this book is not a tract for or against the European Union in its present form. However, its creation and prospects are the main determinants of the development of Europe as a whole, so inevitably the EU is the subject of most of my narrative. But I have also a good deal to say about my experiences in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, including Russia, since their Communist regimes began to collapse in 1989. In the years to come, developments in Russia and in its relations with the EU may be more significant than anything that happens at the western end of the continent.
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So this book is an account of my own experiences in the European context; it is not a history. A work of history requires that all relevant aspects be considered and calls for extensive sources and references; there are plenty such books on twentieth-century Europe.
I have tried to concentrate on the themes indicated by the chapter titles and their initial paragraphs and to recount only my own experience (the last chapter is an exception). Sometimes I felt that more background is required, and I have usually put this in end-notes; likewise comments arising from later knowledge, and important references. Some of these notes have become quite extensive, but they are optional reading.
This is not an autobiography: my personal life comes into the narrative only as far as this is relevant to my theme. However, since my European stance will probably sound provocative to the numerous British“euro-sceptics”, a disclaimer seems necessary. I know many people– particularly but not only among those living in the Brussels area– who would also regard themselves as“Europeans”: none of these would regard this stance as conflicting with their regional or national origins.
In my own case, my father was Irish and my mother Scottish; I was brought up in Scotland. Those Irish and Scottish roots have not disappeared. My father came from a farming family (Southern Irish, but Protestant) and he was a veterinary surgeon: his countryman’s ways and his ease with animals have continued to influence me.[2] So has my mother’s typically Scottish”hard-work ethic”. I remember with affection many Scottish traditions and maintain some of them; in several places on the Continent I have found myself involved in Scottish country-dancing societies. Robert Burns has always been my favourite poet, one who speaks directly to me. My occasional visits back to Scotland have always had a special attraction for me.
The President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, speaking just after his nomination on 19 November 2009, said:“if our unity is our strength, our diversity remains our wealth.” I heartily agree.
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Many people have helped me in preparing this book, including several who are mentioned in it, so this is an opportunity for me to recognise several friends who also, in one way or another, are lea
