Cultural Metamorphosis of the Expressions of European Identity

In the recent decades, we have witnessed a change of paradigm, from the national to the European paradigm, one that is not centered on the national culture but on the values of the united Europe. The symbols, values and traditions of EU increase its visibility and contribute to a unifying European identity. However, this identity is not a single entity but a composite of multiple, integrated elements, that are subject to continuous change. For citizens from different countries to assimilate and identify with the European creed, continuous transformations and adjustments are taking place, process in which some elements are enhanced, while others suffer transformations. The third millennium was often described by experts as the era of intercultural communication as intercultural dialogue is the territory in which cultural identity is constantly redefined and negotiated. Now that mass media has pushed further the frontiers of knowledge and that our world has become, as predicted by Marshall McLuhan, a “global village”, the issue that we are confronted with in times of crises is whether the world is really a true village, connected by such principles as solidarity, peace, harmony, love, or rather a jungle where only the fittest and strongest cultures will survive?