Prof. Wang's Paper "Culture and EU's Sustainability" published in the Reports by Sofia Univesity in May 2019.

CULTURE AND EU’S SUSTAINABILITY

Prof. Dr. Wang Xiaohai

Guangdong University of Foreign Studies,

Guangzhou, 510420, P. R. China

Abstract

The EU now is indulged in a multitude of challenges and crises. Member States such as France, Germany and Italy are suffering from their internal problems, e.g., immigration, failure in general election, financial problems and so forth. The sustainability of the EU is at stake. It is believed by many scholars that the European integration is a multi-dimensional process, involving economic, political, social and cultural dimensions. A “culturally deficit project of integration” is fragile. This paper probes into the role of culture played in the process of European integration and the importance of culture in the context of the current crises faced by the EU. To keep the EU sustainable, culture should not be ignored because culture is the ‘glue’ that joints the Member States together and the ‘lubricant’ that keeps the European integration moving forward smoothly.