Brussels, 06/06/2005 (Agence Europe) - "We forget too easily that when the National Assembly voted 'no' to the European Defence Community (EDC) in 1954, the shock this sent through the European leaders at the time was at least equal to that we are feeling today, in view of the French and Dutch 'no'", said José Manuel Barroso, speaking in Messina on 4 June, at the 50th anniversary celebrations of the conference which relaunched European construction, leading to the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community, which celebrations were held by initiative of the Italian Defence Minister, Antonio Martino, the son of Gaetano Martino, the Italian Foreign Minister at the time. After the failure of the EDC, the Commission President pointed out, the European leaders "did not give up on their ideals (…) Paul-Henri Spaak, who became the Belgian Foreign Minister, proposed convening a conference to prepare a relaunch plan. The initiative went down very well with Johan Willem Beyen, the Dutch Foreign Minister, who wanted to go even further, towards 'general economic integration'". Mr Barosso called for a return to the spirit of Messina, stating: "We must not take refuge in paralysis. We must show our fellow countrymen, some of whom are quite sceptical, that now more than ever can the European Union provide an effective response to their concerns and meet the challenges of the new millennium (…) The Commission continues and will continue to take important decisions which bring real advantages to all citizens of Europe (…). The first test may be reaching agreement on the financial perspectives 2007-2013". Calling on the European leaders "not to shut themselves off in ideological rifts (…), monotheism of the market and monotheism of the state", Mr Barosso repeated his call for unilateral and dispersed actions to be avoided, and for his colleagues to wait for the summit of the 16th and 17th June. In a message sent out in Messina, President Ciampi said: "faced with these difficulties, we will not back down, and we will not capitulate. We will overcome the obstacles with even more resolve. We will not compromise the heritage we have acquired. We undertake to develop it".