Political scientist
John McCormick expands on these ideas, and identifies the following as core attributes of Europeanism: •
Secularism is probably the one quality most clearly associated with Europe: while religion continues to grow in most of the rest of the world, in virtually every European country, its role is declining, and it plays an increasingly marginal role in politics and public life, while heavily influencing Europeanist attitudes towards science and towards public policies in which religious belief plays a role. • A rethinking of the meaning of
citizenship and
patriotism. In regard to the latter, pride in country is being replaced with pride in ideas, otherwise known as
constitutional patriotism. Identification with nations or states is being increasingly joined with identification with Europe. •
Cosmopolitanism, or an association with universal ideas, and a belief that all Europeans, and possibly even all humans, belong to a single moral community that transcends state boundaries or national identities. The local and the global cannot be separated or divorced. •
Communitarianism, which - in contrast to the liberal emphasis on individual rights - supports a balance between individual and community interests, emphasizing the responsibilities of government to all those who live under its jurisdiction. Europeanism argues that society may sometimes be a better judge of what is good for individuals rather than vice versa. • The
collective society. Europeanism emphasizes the view that societal divisions will occur in spite of attempts to ensure equal opportunity, and accepts the role of the state as an economic manager and as a guarantor of societal welfare. •
Welfarism, or a reference to Europeanist ideas that while individual endeavor is to be welcomed, applauded and rewarded, the community has a responsibility for working to ensure that the playing field is as level as possible, and that opportunity and wealth are equitably distributed. Europeanism emphasizes
equality of results over equality of opportunity. •
Sustainable development, or the belief that development should be sustainable, meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations. • Redefining the
family. The place of the European family is changing, with fewer Europeans opting to marry, their ages at marriage rising, their divorce rates growing, their fertility rates declining, more children are being born outside marriage, and single-parent and single-person households becoming more usual. • Working to live.
Post-material Europeans are working fewer hours, are doing more with those hours, and have developed family-friendly laws and policies. • Criminal rights. In matters of
criminal justice, Europeanism means a greater emphasis on individual rights, and a preference for resolving disputes through negotiation rather than confrontation through the law. • Opposition to
capital punishment. In league with above named criminal rights. State sponsored executions are prohibited in all
European Union and
Council of Europe member states, and European governments have worked to achieve a global moratorium as a first step towards its worldwide abolition. •
Multiculturalism, in which Europe has a long and often overlooked tradition arising from the diversity of European societies, and a Europeanist habit of integrating core values and features from new groups with which its dominant cultures have come into contact. •
Perpetual peace. Where once Europe was a region of near constant war, conflict and political violence, it is today a region of generalised peace, and one which has made much progress along the path to achieving the
Kantian condition of perpetual peace. Inter-state war in the region is alleged to be unthinkable and impossible, even during the worst economic or financial troubles. •
Multilateralism. Europeanism has eschewed national self-interest in favour of cooperation and consensus, of the promotion of values rather than interests, of reliance on international rules and agreements, and of building coalitions and working through international organisations to resolve problems. ==European Union==