On "European values"

... integration, like border-free travel and a common currency were popular. Europeans were proud of the apparent success of the EU, and this is where “European values” started to become a more important part of the picture. A vague, fluffy European ideology, resting on economic success and the ideal of a united Europe began to emerge. This European ideology has been primarily a domain for idealists rather than pragmatists. European ideology became increasingly missionary, moralistic, and hypocritical ...