Abstract: In this article we are going to make a review of the major theories of European identity, we are going to deduce common characteristics and to study the way they are presented in some key speeches of EU politicians. The speeches are selected in terms of periods, when key documents, reinforcing the European identity, are published. What is Europe for us? Are we a part of it? What makes us feel we belong to the European Union? Does our perception of and attitude to the EU change? These and many others related questions have troubled the minds of scholars, researchers, politicians and citizens for years.
Keywords: European identity, European politicians, speeches.
Rhetoric and Communications E-journal, Issue 5, September 2012, http://rhetoric.bg/, ISSN 1314-4464