Europejstvo kao identitet razvoja – pravo ili privilegij?
Europeanism as the Identity of Development – Right or Privilege?

Summary/Abstract: The transitions of European postsocialist countries have been marked in the past decade by an orientation towards efficient market economy and political democratisation. All of these societies started new modernisation processes which have rendered them new identity. However, what varies from state to state is the gap between inherited values and patterns of social life (inherited identity) on the one hand, and the targeted orientation to market economy and democratisation of politics (development identity) on the other. A greater or lesser incompatibility of heritage and aims of development should not become an insurmountable barrier to being included into the European family. In as much as Europe opens up to particular transitional societies, they are then described as promising or not. It is quite another matter whether the promising prospects of a society have to do with that very society and its readiness to transform its identity, or how much this depends on the good will of the European mentors and the transformation prescribed by them. Furthermore, to be yet a part of Europe and not participate in the European time of distribution of power and wealth, is the fate of the European East, while the West of Europe has a privileged position. With the former, Europeanism is still understood as servitude, while for the latter, Europeanism means being in the position of those who rule. Thus the overall effort of joining the European integrations is for some a reserved right and privilege, while to others it just represents the right to wish. Antiglobalists would describe it as a new aspect of colonialism.

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