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Paris, April 22 -- As 10 new countries prepare to enter the European Union on May 1, it is not so much economic weight or political tradition that has earned them the right to join the regional bloc. Rather, it is a certain cultural identity forged [gasp!] by Christianity and a common artistic heritage. In one crucial sense, then, the lingua franca of this expanded Europe remains that of Shakespeare, Leonardo, Mozart and other giants of the past....

(Alan Riding, "A Common Culture (From the U.S.A.) Binds Europeans Ever Closer," The New York Times, April 26, 2004; page B1.)