Guy Verhofstadt on the adoration of national identity

Remarks on the French debate on national identity made by former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt have triggered fierce reactions. Today a Member of the European Parliamant, Verhofstadt defends his views in the daily De Standaard: "It is impossible to found a peaceful and prosperous society on a term like 'identity'. To put it in general terms, 'identity' is a symptom of our inability to accept the world as it is. The future of Europe is a far cry from depending on the search for national identity, and it certainly cannot lie in the sum of all national identities. Today's Europe, 'l'Europe des Nations', is a relic of the past. It is a Europe that is unable to solve problems. And it is a Europe that will hardly play a meaningful role in the multipolar world of the 21st century. In short: the future of Europe and the European Union will be postnational, or no future at all."

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