What—if anything—do the twenty-eight member states of the European Union have in common? Amidst all the variety, can one even speak of a European identity? In this timely book, Stephen Green explores these questions and argues for the necessity of the European voice in the international community.

Green points out that Europeans can readily define the differences that separate them from others around the globe, but they have yet to clearly define their own similarities across member states. He argues that Europe has something distinctive and vitally important to offer: the experience of a unique journey through centuries of exploration and conflict, errors and lessons, soul-searching and rebuilding—an evolution of universal significance.

Coming at a time when the divisions in European culture have been laid bare by recent financial crises and calls for independence, The European Identity identifies one of the biggest challenges for all of the member states of the European Union.

Stephen Green was an international banker and Minister for Trade and Investment between 2011–13. He chairs the Natural History Museum, is an ordained priest of the Church of England, and sits as a Conservative peer in the House of Lords. He is the author of Reluctant Meister: How Germany’s Past is Shaping its European Future.

— Independent, on the Haus Curiosities series

— Times Higher Education, on the Haus Curiosities series

— Defense & Foreign Affairs Special Analysis

— Tribune Magazine (UK)