FEATURE
140
New Narrative for Europe
Interview with José-Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission
José Manuel Barroso (1956) has been President of the European Commission for more than eight years. Exclusively for this Greek Special, he talks about the future of Europe, the role of cultural heritage and his new initiative, called the “New narrative for Europe.”
Why did you think it was necessary to launch the initiative for the New Narrative for Europe? What do you expect from it, what should the Europeans get out of it, how do you avoid it becoming just an intellectual discussion among artists and scientists who already believe in a European idea and project? Over the last sixty years a Europe long devastated by wars has been transformed into a peaceful Europe. A Europe long divided has been reunited. The claim of the peoples of Europe for their fundamental rights to freedom, to dignity and to justice
has overcome oppression and humiliation. It has been anchored in a community of destiny where diversity and unity are both legitimate and guaranteed. Today the founding raison d’être of the European community and the European Union remains of course valid. This is about a quest for peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights. And let us remain loyal to the vision of the founding fathers. But, today Europe is very different to how it was in 1957 or in 1989, having a truly continental dimension and a global outreach. And we are also different in