ABSTRACT
One of the important constituents of common identity is that the people concerned share a perception of the same external ‘others’ as threats. Therefore, it may be argued that European identity should be grounded in similar perceptions of threats and that truly European elites should share similar perceptions. In this study, elites’ perception of three potential external threats to the cohesion of the European Union (EU) have been investigated: enlargement of the EU to include Turkey; the close relationships between some EU countries and the United States; and the interference of Russia in European affairs. On the basis of Belgian, German, Polish and Lithuanian elite survey data we explore whether there is evidence of a common European identity across the selected European states, or whether distinct European identities are emerging along the new–old dividing line between EU member states. We also examine whether individual-level factors such as elite left–right self-identification, different visions of the role and future of the EU, as well as the type of preferred national identity (achieved or ascribed), significantly shape perceptions of external threats and therefore constitute grounds for the formation of distinct European identities.
