On the eve of Europe day, COMECE General secretary Fr Patrick H. Daly, made the following statement:
(Credit: Web)
‘On this 9 May is celebrated across our continent as Europe Day. It offers us an occasion to recall the beginnings of the great adventure which has grown the nations of Europe closer together. On the 9 May 1950, France suggested to Germany the opening up of a road to Peace and reconciliation, on the basis of a very concrete plan, advanced by the French Commissioner for planning Jean Monnet. The welcoming ‘yes’ of the German Chancellor to the hands of friendship extended by the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman marked the first step in a vast transformation of our continent into a community of nations which, on the 1st July this year will welcome its 28th member, Croatia.
Peace and Solidarity, the principal goals set on the 9 May 1950, still need to be
pursued with even greater persistence in 2013, given that we are living through an economic crisis, which is profoundly impacting on European society and causing much pain.
There are some politicians, and citizens too, who imagine that conflict and division will resolve this crises. Such logic takes us back 70 years to a continent deeply divided by hatred and mutual suspicion. But we simply do not want to turn back; we want to move forward. In this, we must take our lead from the vision of ‘transformation’ outlined by Robert Schuman in the preliminary text of his 9 May declaration:
‘It is no longer a question of vain words but of a bold act, a constructive act. France has acted and the consequences of its action can be immense. We hope they will be. France has acted primarily for peace and to give peace a real chance. For this it is necessary that Europe should exist. Five years, almost to the day, after the unconditional surrender of Germany, France is accomplishing the first decisive act for European construction and is associating Germany with this. Conditions in Europe are going to be entirely changed because of it. This transformation will facilitate other action which has been impossible until this day. Europe will be born from this, a Europe which is solidly united and constructed around a strong framework. It will be a Europe where the standard of living will rise by grouping together production and expanding markets, thus encouraging the lowering of prices.
In this Europe, the Ruhr, the Saar and the French industrial basins will work together for common goals and their progress will be followed by observers from the United Nations. All Europeans without distinction, whether from east or west, and all the overseas territories, especially Africa, which awaits development and prosperity from this old continent, will gain benefits from their labour of peace. Here is this decision with the considerations that inspired it.” (Now follows the Schuman Declaration itself)’
As general secretary of COMECE, I would like to invite all EU citizens and their political representatives to have a fresh look on this 9 May 2013 at the Schuman Declaration, which is the foundational text of the European project and is at the very roots of all we have achieved together in transforming our continent.
Perhaps a re-reading of this text may shed light on our road ahead and my provide that sense of vision which some of those at the helm of Europe seem to have lost in our time. ‘