Abstract
The inaugural speech develops the idea that, until further notice, there can be no common political identity for the inhabitants of Europe and the European Union, because they are still mostly socialized in their traditional national identities. In the best-case scenario, they develop something that might be described as " amphibious political identity ", wearing a European-style surcoat over their national costumes.
Reflections on the mythological, demographic and political refoundation of Europe after the Second World War lead to the thesis that, with the creation of the European Union, the categorical innovation of a great post-imperial structure has appeared on the stage of world history.
The difficulties Europeans have with their post-imperial identity are reflected in various ways in their political behavior - notably in the low turnout for European Parliament elections. At the same time, public debate in the European Union is awash with defeatist diagnoses and declinist slogans.
