The EU is a political dwarf and economic giant; the Lisbon Treaty is offering a framework for the bloc to strengthen its political dimension and take a leading role in the world, Polish MEP Bronislaw Geremek said in Ljubljana on Tuesday.
Yet Geremek also pointed out that Europe is facing a different kind of crisis, a crisis of "European consciousness", as newly rekindled nationalisms threaten the common European spirit.
The Europeans must answer the questions why they want to live together and what their common identity is, Geremek said in a speech hosted by Forum 21, a talking shop established by former president Milan Kucan.
According to him, the fall of the Iron Curtain and the long-awaited reunification of Europe weakened the European spirit although few would argue that it was not positive in economic and psychological terms.
Post-Lisbon, the bloc must redefine European integration and the relationship between European and national interests. To progress, the EU needs a clearer definition of European citizenship and the rights and duties it entails, he said.
The Lisbon Treaty will make EU institutions efficient, but it will not per se create a space for citizens - this is the fundamental challenge for the EU, Geremek argued.
The EU is a result not only of dramatic events in the 20th century, but also a result of Europeans' dreams, which is why citizens have a great responsibility for its future, the MEP concluded.
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