A lot has changed in Europe over the past 50 years most of it for the better. But still one wonders how much further along European integration would be today if it wasn't for the daily complications posed by the fact that EU citizens speak 11 different languages. For all the efforts to further integration at this weekend's EU summit in Nice, France, we argue that Europe may have missed the train to faster integration more than 350 years ago.
Language is a key factor in accomplishing integration.
Sadly, all this is happening after more than four decades of EU integration. Moreover, the language picture is even bleaker at the citizens' level. An examination of European history suggests that this situation is at least in part a result of decisions taken in the 17th century. The year was 1648, and one of Europe's most devastating conflicts the 30-year war had just come to an end. The European powers thus opted for religion rather than language as an instrument of territorial integration.