Why did I start this blog? Well, to put it simply: I’m a passionate pro-European (read more about me here) and after taking some time off from the ‘political space,’ I decided it was finally time to make my own contribution. I believe in the EU, in a united and diverse Europe and that, despite our many cultural differences, there is such a thing as “Europeanism,” i.e. a European identity that is unique in its own right and based around common values.

I am not a federalist and I won’t advocate for discarding national identities for the sake of a “United States of Europe” because I believe that it is also from our diversity that we draw our strength. We can learn from our differences and experiences to help create a better, more inclusive Europe that benefits all of us. Not an easy task, I know. But we have to at least try…

With this blog, I hope to promote a more optimistic view of Europe, highlighting what we all have in common while also celebrating our diversity. I hope to create a like-minded community of Europeans that can debate and discuss the issues that are currently facing us. And, because we all need a break from politics sometimes, I will also use this blog and its social media to showcase what makes Europe a beautiful, interesting place to live in: its various cultures, history, art, landscapes, etc.

Perhaps, I will be preaching to my echo-chamber here. Maybe I won’t convert anyone, but if at the very least, this blog helps us realise that we have more in common than we think, that there are more of us who also identify as European and that we are not alone in this, then I’ll already consider it as a ‘win.’

Conventional media naturally focuses on ‘bad news’ and negative developments, as it often must. “Positive news” isn’t often considered news. Understandable as this is, it can skew our perspectives into thinking everything in Europe and in the world at large is going terribly and this can discourage us from getting engaged and being involved. (“Everything is going to shit so why bother?”)

I myself went through a long phase of this over the past years during which the political landscape in Europe and abroad was less than ideal. (Brexit, Trump, anyone?) I always kept myself informed with current affairs, but I had to take a step back from following the news too intensely as it became too depressing and draining. And this is as someone who loves politics, loves discussing politics, who would read and share articles almost on a daily basis…

But you can’t hide away forever…so this blog is my personal contribution, however small, to the current political discourse in Europe.

I am not here to promote the naive view that everything is going just swimmingly and that we can live in a fantasy world where unicorns, happiness & rainbows abound (I’ll leave that to the Brexiteers and other nationalists!) There are many difficult issues facing us in Europe and elsewhere: climate change, mass migration, economic inequality, rise of populism to name but a few. However, the solution is not to become so disenchanted or negative that it paralyses us. Democracy, as we have seen, does not function properly if people are disengaged and uninformed.

With Vox Europae, I want to frame the discourse more positively because I believe that hope and idealism can drive change just as much as fear can. If we see that we have more in common as Europeans in terms of values and beliefs than how it may appear at first glance, perhaps we can re-energise the European project and inspire people to be involved, even if that just means inspiring them to get out and vote.

There are reasons to be optimistic for Europe’s future – in the recent European elections, voter turnout was over 50% for the first time in 25 years and the nationalist, populist ‘surge’ that was predicted did not come to fruition. Voters still overwhelmingly chose pro-EU parties and the high turnout shows that people do care about the European project and are willing to fight for it. We may differ in our views as to how (or if) the EU should reform itself and how to progress, but we seem to have understood that it plays a positive role in our lives.

But we must not allow ourselves to get complacent: it was complacency, not just nationalist sympathies which lead to the downturn in the EU’s popularity and the current fragmentation in politics.

The EU itself didn’t do a very good job of engaging with its citizens and explaining why its existence matters and is beneficial. It assumed people already knew. The EU and our national governments were happy to trundle along the path of the status quo. In some ways that’s understandable and I don’t blame them too much for it: the EU is large and unwieldy by nature – it is composed of 28 countries with different political cultures, after all. Things are bound to move slowly.

The status quo, however, is no longer enough, especially with the many new challenges facing us.

Some of these challenges are truly difficult such as climate change and ongoing mass migration, while others, such as increasing globalisation and the rise of AI need only to be managed properly (easier said than done, I know!) These are challenges that we ALL face and that we must work together on at a supranational level if we are to succeed. The solution is NOT to retreat towards nationalism, as the Farages and Le Pens of this world would like, since then we are truly doomed. That approach certainly didn’t work very well the first time around, did it?

There is an immense amount of talent on this continent, whether it comes from those who have lived in Europe all their lives or from the newer members in our societies. As I said before, diversity is our strength. But we must find a way to come together and this blog, with its focus on ‘Europeanism’ and our shared values, will hopefully make people realise what we have in common.

The name Vox Europae is taken from the Latin vox, meaning “voice,” and Europa (originally Greek,) the name given to the geographical region of Europe in Greek mythology. Together, Vox Europae means the “voice of Europe” and that is, essentially, what I will try to capture in this blog using not just my voice, of course, but those of other Europeans who I meet along the way. While there will definitely be a political focus to the blog, I also want to use it as a platform to showcase the great diversity of culture, society, art, landscapes and talent that is found in what is the beautiful melting pot of Europe.

I hope that this blog inspires you and informs you.

xoxo

Madeleine