"An Unwritten History: The Europeanisation of Switzerland1"

Ehs, Tamara. (2007) "An Unwritten History: The Europeanisation of Switzerland1". In: UNSPECIFIED, Montreal, Canada. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

[From the introduction]. On 22 November 2004, consul general Raymond Loretan gave a speech on Switzerland and the European Union at the European Union Studies Center in New York. He started with the words, ‘Switzerland is European’, followed by a long list of specifications on Switzerland’s Europeanness (Loretan, 2004). Some years ago no Swiss ambassador or scholar invited to an institution that had the word Europe in its name would have had to defend or even clarify Switzerland being European. There was no doubt the little Alpine country was the heart of Europe. But with the evolving political momentum of the European Union beginning with the Single European Act (1986) and especially the Treaties of Maastricht (1992) and Amsterdam (1997) and the accompanying enlargement of the Community the notion of European became subject to change, became appropriated by the EU.2 Since Switzerland is not a member of the European Union and does not plan entry in foreseeable time neither it constantly has to explicate its Europeanness. Although most of us can agree on Switzerland being European simply by the geographical fact, we face frictions calling the country Europeanised. Reflecting this presumes that Switzerland (as other non-EU member states) is not involved in the process of unifying Europe. But to take this view shows a rather limited approach to what Europeanisation is and accounts for.

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