European identity: roots and scope

The current landscape of Europe requires an urgent reflection on whether a European identity exists or not, and on the consequences the answers to this question may hold. For two years, we members of the Research Group on critical issues of contemporary international society of the Faculty of Law of the International University of Catalonia, together with a number of professors from other Spanish and international universities, have attempted to provide answers to these questions. This special issue of Cuadernos Europeos de Deusto is the result of this research project. We have approached the topic from a multidisciplinary perspective, and more specifically Philosophy, History and Law. In particular, we have focused on the roots and scope of the European identity, which, once determined, can shed light on the relations between people and groups of different races, religions, cultures, etc. in Europe. Several of the authors have addressed the issue of human rights, a key element of that European identity.