Paper short abstract:

This paper considers the notion of the 'people' the European Union seems to define or recognise as compatible with the promotion of its values. It questions the relative weight of the two pillars of the motto 'unity within diversity' and the capacity of the EU to develop multilevel governance.

Paper long abstract:

The European Union developed specific criteria for negotiating the accession of new member states that have served to adjust the financial, economic, and social institutions for the candidate countries to meet the European requirements. A key issue was to raise up the democratic standards for implementing human right policies, especially regarding the status of minorities. Several programs have been designed, a frame-convention has been signed, the charter for the protection of minority and regional languages has been ratified by some member states and an instrument to fight against discriminations has been adopted. That was reflected in the Treaty project for a European constitution. But the rejection by two founding member states and the difficulties induced for its ratification by the national parliaments or through referendum, revealed several dividing lines, among which figures the uncertain status of the European relation to "others" in the frame of neo-liberal policies. If a constitution is the sign of unification, "what is Europe and its collective project?" is one aspect of a question that haunts the citizens' imaginary and regards the definition of a European people. This paper intends to reconsider the notion of "people" the European Union seems to define or recognize as compatible with the promotion of its values, and the contradictions that limit the adhesion of the peoples to the European project. It questions the relative weight of the two pillars of the motto "unity within diversity" and the capacity of the EU to develop a multilevel governance that takes into consideration the many cultures and peoples and their relations to the national peoples and states that are presently associated to the EU system.