I've lived for > 1 year at the time in quite a few countries of Europe. Europe is
not a single entity and never will be. The language is a part of this, but the mentality from country to country is a far larger component.
Within Europe you have cultures and mentalities as diverse as you can imagine. Language is the least of the problem.
This is also why many well-meaning individuals, NGO's, governments and other institutions that try to apply knowledge about something that 'worked' in one EU country to another invariably fail.
Comparing Greece to Sweden, The UK to Romania, Serbia to Portugal, Italy to Scotland, Poland to France and Spain to Germany can shed some light on what makes - and keeps - Europe as fragmented as it is.
The Euro, with all its faults, has done more for European unification than any other measure, Schengen being a close second.
Now we're looking at a slow but sure decline in that feeling. Most people have an identity rooted in some rough geographical location, I've yet to hear someone call themselves a European first.
Within Europe you have cultures and mentalities as diverse as you can imagine. Language is the least of the problem.
This is also why many well-meaning individuals, NGO's, governments and other institutions that try to apply knowledge about something that 'worked' in one EU country to another invariably fail.
Comparing Greece to Sweden, The UK to Romania, Serbia to Portugal, Italy to Scotland, Poland to France and Spain to Germany can shed some light on what makes - and keeps - Europe as fragmented as it is.
The Euro, with all its faults, has done more for European unification than any other measure, Schengen being a close second.
Now we're looking at a slow but sure decline in that feeling. Most people have an identity rooted in some rough geographical location, I've yet to hear someone call themselves a European first.