In the growing literature on European integration there is still a lack of understanding of the key political elements of this integration. In this study the author takes what is one of the most obvious assumptions about European integration - namely, that it involves convergence toward a common political identity, along with a common market - and argues that a continuously 'translated' and 'negotiated' divergence in identities is not only a more likely outcome, but could also be more beneficial for the eventual formation of a European public sphere and, hence, a viable and legitimate democracy on a continental scale.