European Horizons “It is my great pleasure to introduce the European Horizons members’ submissions to the Europe Day special of Eurovisie. As the 8th May marks a day of the beginning of unity, we are thrilled to have forge a new connection with our fellow European-Enthusiast counterparts at SES on this worthy occasion. Over here at European Horizons we are a student-led policy incubator established in 2017 in Amsterdam. Since, we have formed 10 working groups on policy papers, written weekly news reviews, organised over 6 events and founded the Amsterdam Policy Prize.” Cameron Kennett, editor-in-chief European Horizons, Amsterdam Chapter
Embracing Our Diversity Sofiya-Halyna Tryzub-Cook often refer to a “EuroPoneeople pean Culture” similar to what may call “American Culture”, while in society today, no such unified cultures exist. This European Culture, as such, may have derived from the idea of a united Europe from the numerous European coalitions, businesses, and most notably, the European Union. However, despite having common agendas and alliances, it is important to realize that all European countries differ within their most rudimentary elements — their language, traditions, lifestyles, diet and cultures.
Europe geographically borders the Arctic Ocean to the North, with the Mediterranean Sea to the south, Atlantic Ocean to the West and Asia to its East. The continent comprises 50 countries, with at least 24 official languages and 25 currencies, along with the diverse religions, ethnicities, habits and mentalities that are spread across the continent. Indeed, historically speaking, what with the many wars that have plagued Europe and the consistent migrations of various tribes, clans and groups, have all caused European countries to be heavily intertwined with one another. Ho-
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wever, today with established nation states, Europe is forevermore diverse. To better grasp this European diversity from the different perspectives and nationalities, a survey was conducted on the topic. This survey aimed to explore the aspects of what a country within Europe consists of, while also investigating the topic of a “European Culture” and what one means by this. Below you will find extracted responses from participants who conducted within the survey: What is something you consider to be unique about your country? “France — Cheese, Wine, the city of love, having it all (the Alps, the countryside, the city)” “Spain — We have a very laidback way of living in the sense that we work to live and don’t live to work. This can be reflected in how late we have lunch and dinner, and in the fact that we are very family-oriented and fond of social interaction. Because Spain has been home to so many different cultures over the years. Addi-
tionally, Spain has been home to so many cultures over the years, it has been influenced by all of them and is very diverse in itself. Every region has its own traditions and is completely different to the rest, which I think makes it very special.” “Norway — The hytteculture” “Ukraine — Vyshivanka (Traditional Clothing — embroidery), Traditional peasant folk art, Festivals/Traditions, Food Culture” “Switzerland — Direct democracy and state mandated internet” “Portugal — It’s colors” “UK — British Humor” “Poland — The combination of the Western and Eastern culture due to our central location in Europe” “Netherlands — How the majority of the population speaks quite fluent English (even though it’s a second language)” What do you believe is a stereotype of your country?
