EUROPEAN UNIVERSALISM – HISTORICAL AND LEGAL ASPECT

Abstract

The idea of United Europe (UE), in the sense of a single political, economic, cultural, and later a legal entity, has been found ever since the Roman Empire. It has since then taken on various forms: from the idea of a “Christian Confederation” (Catholic and/or Protestant) and a permanent offensive-defensive alliance for achieving peace, to plans that involve the creation of elaborate institutional frameworks. In spite of many ideas about the (re)arrangement of Europe, substantial progress in this field has not happened until the middle of the XX century. Through the creation of economic, political and legal structures, it seemed that this idea was not only revived, but became like a civilizational constant, without which the functioning of today’s world could not be imagined, not on a single plane. However, looking at the history, the current way of functioning, and the perspective of (re) shaping the United Europe, it is difficult not to doubt the sustainability of its existence, not only as an idea, but also as its actual and future manifestations.