“In difference we trust”. The intercultural foundations of European law
DAMIANO CANALE - Università Bocconi
CRISTINA LOGLIO - Europa Nostra
One of the defining features of European culture is its “polemical” nature. From the dawn of Greek philosophy to the present day, the distinctive trait of the European perspective on the world is represented by the dialectical confrontation between different instances. Where their desire for universality depends on their mutual recognition. This applies not only in the fields of philosophy, art and religion, but also in politics and law. Indeed, the profoundly dialectical and plural dimension of European culture underpins the project of a common European space that arose after the Second World War. At the heart of this endeavor, even today remains the inherent challenge of harmonizing different political and legal instances in constant dialectical confrontation with each other. The aim of my contribution is to show how the “polemical” character of European culture has found shape in the law of the European Union, and under which conditions the latter can remain faithful to its mission in the face of the challenges of the present.