“I would be very happy if I had a good answer to this question”

What the new vision for the European youth will look like, Dr. Arndt Freiherr Freytag von Loringhoven, Deputy Director of the EU Department of the Foreign Office, couldn’t tell either – but he is certain that it should center on the international promotion of European achievements like the social market economy and European models of sustainable growth. Read for yourselves.

Euroskop: Today peace and prosperity are a given for many young people. What could be a new narrative for the Europe of our times?

Freytag von Loringhoven: I would be very happy if I had a good answer to this question. Nevertheless it is clear that this current question is much harder to answer than the one about historical developments. There are topics which will become more important over time. One of them is surely Europe’s role in the world. The European project continues in the global context, it is not only about pacifying our own continent anymore. We have to consider different aspects if we want to live up this new role. For one, we have to consider economic competition, innovative capacity and values. Not only has our construct for society to be ensured, it has to radiate into our environment. A second leitmotiv could be the idea of sustainable growth, which is successfully promoted in Europe and which has to compete with other approaches on the international level. This model is not half as important in Asia or the United States. I believe that these two lines will become more relevant in the future.

Euroskop: What would you say could be the reason for the lack of enthusiasm for Europe among the younger generation?

Freytag von Loringhoven: People take Europe more and more for granted. It is not a project which has to be built up anymore. Peace and prosperity prevail and one can visit universities in all places. The need of getting involved with Europe therefore becomes less evident. In this context it is a task of politics to bring these dimension closer to the general public in demonstrating that Europe can change things, for example in questions concerning the climate.

Euroskop: Imagine you had the chance to address all Europeans for about 90 seconds – what would you say?

Freytag von Loringhoven: I would stress the topics I mentioned above: Europe’s role in the world, the chance of leading the field with a good example on sustainable growth. In addition, I would refer to a long European history and the fact that it becomes harder and harder to defend our common values. I am certain about the fact that our only chance in regard to international competition is to concentrate our forces – not only our economic ones, but also when it comes to norms and values.

Euroskop: What do you mean when you refer to European values? What makes them distinct?

Freytag von Loringhoven: Europe stands for democracy, peace and the social market economy. These fundamental convictions are based in the European Convention of Human Rights. Naturally, outside Europe, democratic societies exist as well, but the combination of these three values is specifically European. It is here where they have been originated and it is here where their heart is still beating. The US represents peace and democracy, but their system could not be defined as a social market economy. Their mix of values is just different. In addition to that, our competition for the right system is still ongoing with a semi-authoritarian form of modernization, as we know it from China, Russia or Singapore. Some of them might be economically successful, but they do not in the least align themselves with European values.

Euroskop: What restricts the lack of enthusiasm for Europe in the German case?

Freytag von Loringhoven: I think that the above mentioned atmosphere of taking monumental achievements for granted has really intruded Germany, especially the younger generation. And the Euro really puts a damper on the mood in Germany, where the European integration was actually never extensively popular. It has always been partly perceived as a project of a small political and economic elite and was always regarded with a certain skepticism. The debt crisis has aggravated this afflicted perception. For one and a half years the European debate has been marked by the Euro theme. Even if that is not the normal state of affairs, finance-political reporting naturally determines the political context of society. In the light of waning trust, politicians have to take care, that matters are not always seen through the prism of macroeconomists, but rather that those fields of politics which affect the reality of life of the people are increasingly represented.

Euroskop: Many complain about the missing general public when it comes to Europe; one reason could well be that we are missing a common media landscape. Do we have to give away an increasing part of our national languages to enable the construction of such a platform for exchange?

Freytag von Loringhoven: A difficult question… How would you do that? There is a reason why our leitmotiv is unity in diversity. The cultural and linguistic diversity is one of the big strengths of Europe. And there is also a big danger in promoting cultural uniformity. For me, the mix of similarities and diversity is a core feature of Europe. It is a crucial part of its success story. Trying to switch to English in all fields would produce fierce counter-reactions – in Germany as well, but surely in a country like France. We observe a pragmatic alignment anyways but forcing it would be very dangerous.

Euroskop: Thank you!

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