The cultural factor in the process of international integration. The case of the European Union

Abstract

The idea of the European Community that has been developing since the mid-twentieth century was born, essentially as political-economic product. The first European Community was the European Coal and Steel Community. The issue of European cultural identity is not among the initial considerations, but is gaining an increasing importance in the process of continental integration. There is talk of European multiculturalism and the Amsterdam Treaty establishing the official defense of European cultures.