Global Policy Forum

By Clare Murphy

Most Europeans use the same money to buy the same brands, sport the same fashions and watch the same films. Yet still, it would appear from recent events, they insist on drawing a line between themselves and their European neighbours by drawing up unkind caricatures of one another.

The well-worn stereotypes of Germans have been wheeled out over the past two weeks by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and one of his junior ministers, Stefano Stefani. Mr Berlusconi opted for a Nazi cliché, while his employee went for the image of sunbed-hogging German tourists who "invade" Italian beaches. But are these politicians simply being just that - politicians, or are their remarks symbolic of a wider hatred of each other which lurks in the heart of every EU citizen from Seville to Stockholm?

Moving on

The Germans are not the only ones to suffer from dogged stereotypes. The British are still portrayed as class-obsessed, aggressive fox hunters, while the people of the Mediterannean may be passionate when they are awake but usually they're taking siestas.

Stereotyping is not, of course, a recent phenomenon. In the days when it was not possible to draw unflattering caricatures of those from other countries, because the nation state did not exist, Europeans had to be content with stereotyping those of another religion, or of the opposite sex. Jews, along with Muslims, tended to be portrayed as swarthy skinned souls sporting exaggerated features and menacing grimaces. Usually they were pictured stabbing Christ, or lambs. Women, for their part, had to contend with being typecast as nags or temptresses, hysterical or otherwise. Some of these stereotypes, unfortunately, still persist. But over the past 500 years, Europeans have worked on a new target - their counterparts abroad.

Growing up

One school of thought would suggest that forming and propagating derogatory perceptions of our rivals is inevitable, an almost ritualistic exercise designed to boost our own sense of identity. "When people are uncertain of themselves and feeling insecure, negative stereotyping does tend to follow," says Dr Adam Rutland, a behavioural analyst.

Usually however, Dr Rutland notes, people have learned by the time they reach adulthood to keep their prejudices to themselves, unlike Signori Berlusconi and Stefani. Indeed, according to Jens-Peter Bonde, a Danish eurosceptic member of the European parliament, the remarks say much more about these particular politicians than any European trend. "This is about infighting within the political elite and some rather ridiculous Italian politicians. It's childish politics that Germans and Italians along with the rest of Europe have viewed with contempt." "I believe it's politicians that Europeans feel distanced from, rather than each other. Globalisation means stereotypes are fading, within the EU, beyond the EU. In fact, it's got nothing to do with the EU."

Why not?

And even if a handful of well-worn clichés persist, it may be worthwhile not to be too po-faced about them. As one German cultural official conceded to BBC News Online, Germans had to work out whether they really cared if some people in some countries occasionally poked fun at them. "Perhaps we have to learn to laugh too, at us, at them," said Christoph Muecher, head of the commission for marketing at Germany's cultural arm, the Goethe Institute.

Plus, with the rough comes the smooth. The alleged French obsession with odd culinary dishes which earned its people the term "frog" in the English vernacular, has earned Paris the reputation as the world's gastronomic capital, even when other cities now arguably have equal claim to the title. German industry has long benefited from an international reputation for ruthless efficiency from untiring workers, even though their working day is now shorter than most and their holidays longer.

The chances are that Europeans will just have to learn to live with the odd inaccurate portrayal as a fox-hunting obsessive or as a flamenco-dancing bull-fighter, despite increasing integration. When stereotypes exist not just at the national level, but also between north and south, between neighbourhoods, between gangs in the playground, the chances of the occasional cross-border jibe appear rather high.

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