If Europe is not for something then it is good for nothing. I propose that we think of Europe as being for flourishing...

...We do not need to be embarrassed at the simplicity of the notion that flourishing comes first. Few Americans would blush at the thought that at its core the United States is for freedom, no matter how complicated and problematic that idea turns out to be when concretely manifested, or how far we currently are from that regulative ideal. Perhaps Europeans need to shed some of their insecurity and cynicism and proclaim Europe to be for something. We don’t need to worry about over-simplification; politics always turns out complicated.  The self-proclaimed realists will scoff, but they always do.  Derision and over-complication are political weapons too – “we’d love to shut down these overseas tax havens, but it’s more complicated than that”. The question to ask is if Europe and the European project are not first and foremost about flourishing, then what on Earth could they be for?  (read more)

In the next couple of weeks we'll be launching our editorial partnership with the global commons openDemocracy.net. The post-Europe project will have a devoted partnership page in the oD commons with the title: EUROPE, THE VERY IDEA. Some of our contributors couldn't wait, so here's a little taster of the great debate to come.

Anya Topolski, "From the Idea of Europe, to a Europe of Ideas"
Contrary to the maxim popularised by political scientists that there is no political community without a political identity, what Europe most needs is a political community without identity... (read more)

Teresa Pullano, "Europe, A Concrete Idea"
The rise of the far-right parties and more generally of the anti-European or euro-sceptic ones, such as the British UKIP, is a clear sign that moderate solutions to the current crisis are not enough any more... (read more)