We live in an “age of memory” (Nora 2002), in which the “politics of regret” is commonplace. In the previous chapter, we analyzed the role that collective remembrance played in the construction of a minimal core of European identity, with a focus mainly on Western Europe. There, we highlighted acts of collective remembrance for the Second World War. How have things changed after the 2004 and 2007 enlargements? Is post-enlargement Europe still united by its memory? Is Europe the same when seen from an Eastern or Western perspective? Has the expansion of the European Union (EU) created conducive conditions for the emergence of a shared “politics of regret” across the whole continent?

To speak in terms of “East-West” establishes the problematic dichotomy that evokes the different historical realities and trajectories of Europe. The 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall was a turning point for a “reunified” Europe but also cast a long shadow on Europe. Continuing to speak in these dichotomous terms clearly illustrates that the Cold War division continues to permeate the mindset of most (Western) Europeans. Not surprisingly, European citizens of the former Soviet bloc prefer to speak of “Central and Eastern Europe” to evoke internal differences within the former Comecon zone. In this chapter, we try to problematize this difference through a discussion of divided memories but, given the path dependency from the Cold War period, the phrase “East-West” is used consciously here, precisely to refer to such long-term influences.