Brussels, 09/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - The anniversary of the Schuman Declaration (9 May 1950) was celebrated by the European Institutions and several Member States.
In his Europe Day 2003 message, the President of the Commission, Romano Prodi, said that the Europe that Schuman dreamt of went much further than the six founder members: "We have come a long way since 1950… There are still gaps. But they will gradually be filed. The door is open to the Balkans…. Thanks to the ongoing unification, Europe's division into two blocs is a thing of the past." He added: "I am firmly convinced that the European unification process will only be complete on the day all the Balkan states are members… The European Convention is meeting. It is debating the Constitution for tomorrow's Europe. We must not waste that chance. We must make sure the Convention succeeds. That it takes us forward, not backwards. That it comes forward with a Constitution that is good for all. For the small and large countries…. A Union based on balance, mutual understanding and clear common goals. A system that does not drop its best features."
The President of the European Parliament, Pat Cox, said the signing of the Accession Treaty on 16 April in Athens gives added significance to this year's celebration of 9 May. "The reunification of our continent is something which just 15 years ago would have seemed an impossible dream… Unfortunately, this peace process does not extend to the rest of the world and we still face many bloody and unresolved conflicts - not least in the Middle East and in Iraq. The war in Iraq has not been Europe's finest hour."
Deputy Greek foreign minister Yannos Giannitis, speaking on behalf of the Greek Presidency, mentioned the situation of peace, prosperity and democratic liberty that EU citizens have experienced for decades, adding it was worth while combatting the current uncertainties and the battles facing the EU in the future.
French Socialist MEP Pervenche Berès took the initiative of launching a postal stamp in France featuring the European Charter of Fundamental Rights at a ceremony in Strasbourg in the presence of Guy Braibant, who had represented France on the Convention that prepared for the adoption of the Charter, and François Loncle, who had represented the French national assembly at the Convention, and the town councillor of Strasbourg, Marie-Hélène Gillig (member of the European Parliament Socialist Group) and European Ombudsman Nikos Dimandouros. President Cox congratulated his colleague on the initiative, saying that the drafting of the Charter is major progress in promoting Union values.
In France, Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin chose to celebrate the event by giving a reception for 500 young people, who together watched the film by Cédric Klapisch, "L'auberge espagnole" (which tells the story of young people following the Erasmus programme in Spain). For the first time, the head of the French government decided to put a little sparkle into this event, which means that "France believes in Europe", commented Jean-Dominique Giuliani, from the Robert Schuman Foundation, with a loud "Thank you, Mr Raffarin!" At Quai d'Orsay, in the "Salon de l'Horloge" where Robert Schuman had read his declaration which opened the way to European integration, the French Minister for European Affairs, Noëlle Lenoir, cited Victor Hugo who, in his speech at the Congress for Peace had said: "The day will come when you, France, you Russia, you Italy, you England, you Germany, all of you nations of this continent without forgetting your distinctive qualities or your glorious individuality, you will become closely bound together in a higher entity, and you will form a fraternity of Europe (…). The day will come when there will be two immense groups, the United States of America, the United States of Europe, facing each other, holding their hand out to each other over the ocean, exchanging their products, trade, industry, art and their genius".
In Italy, festivities for Europe took place mainly in Rome, at the Piazza del Popolo, where a European village was opened on 9 and 10 May. There was mainly a debate on the role of young people in the building of Europe and speeches by the President of the House of Representatives, Pierferdinando Casini, the minister for Community policies, Rocco Buttiglione, Vice-Chairman of the European Convention Giuliano Amato and the Mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni.