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      12 August 2012

Sixtieth Anniversary of the start of the world's first supranational institution, the High Authority -- the present European Commission-- of the world's first supranational Community.

 

18 April 2011

Sixtieth Anniversary of Europe's Great Charter of supranational Democracy. 

 

9 May 2010 

Sixtieth anniversary of Schuman Declaration announcing the birth of the New Europe and new European Democracy based on a supranational Community. Sixty five years, 9 May 1945 the end of WW2 to date, is the longest period of peace in the history of western Europe.        

23 September 2009

Sixtieth Anniversary of French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman's announcement of the coming creation of the European Community in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, 4th Session, 23 September 1949.

'Our hope is that Germany will commit itself on a road that will allow it to find again its place in the community of free nations, commencing with that European Community of which the Council of Europe is a herald.

28 September 2009

Sixty-first Anniversary of French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman's announcement of the coming creation of the European democracy in a new organisation of the continent to include former Nazi Germany in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, 3rd Session, 28 September 1949.

A renewed Germany will have to insert itself inside the democracy of Europe. ..  Europe must unite to survive. France intends to work on this energetically with all its heart and soul. A European public opinion is already being created. Already concrete efforts are taking shape that are marking the first steps on a new road.. In agreement with the Belgian Government, the French Government has proposed to follow up suggestions to call a representative assembly of European public opinion with a view to prepare a project for organising Europe. This assembly will have to weigh all the difficulties and propose reasonable solutions which take into account of the need of a wise and progressive development.

 

16 May 2009

SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF Schuman's powerful Speech on 16 May 1949, in Strasbourg, France  at the Festival Hall. Schuman explained how Europe is now defined by countries which recognize the rule of law in the field of human rights and fundamental freedoms. 'At the signature to the Statutes of the Council of Europe, I recalled to everyone's mind that we did not yet have a definition of Europe recognized by everybody. I believed that I was then able to claim that that in thus laying the foundation of an organization, Europe is now beginning to define itself, without the aid of scholars and academics, who I fear, will never be able to agree amongst themselves.' He defined this as 'having the European spirit.' Thus membership of the Council of Europe and adherence to the principles of Human Rights provides the definition of states who can become candidate members of supranational communities.

 

5 May 2009

Sixtieth Anniversary of 5 May1949, signing at London's St James's Palace of the Statutes of the Council of Europe. Schuman signed the Statutes for France which led the negotiations. The aim of  the Council of Europe, originally to be called the European Union, was according to their Statutes the 'safeguarding and realizing the ideals and principles which are their common heritage' recognizing the 'rule of law and that every person placed under its jurisdiction should enjoy human rights and fundamental freedoms.' This step, said Schuman, 'created the foundations of a spiritual and political cooperation, from which the European spirit will be born, the principle of a vast and enduring supranational union.

19 March 2008

FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF ROBERT SCHUMAN'S ELECTION AS PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, 1958 WHEN HE WAS ACCLAIMED   FATHER OF EUROPE.              

 

Sixtieth Anniversary of Schuman's U N announcement to create European Democracy
                 28  September 2008  

Robert Schuman, then French Foreign Minister (and just recently Prime Minister) told the UNITED NATIONS General Assembly, 3rd session 28 September 1948: 

    'A renewed Germany will have to insert itself inside a democratic structure of Europe. The dismemberment of this Old Continent, so cruelly torn by war, is a relic of times past. Now, however, our times are those of large economic units and great political alliances. Europe must unite to survive. France intends to work on this with all her heart and soul. A European public opinion is already being created. Already concrete efforts are taking shape that are making the first steps on a new road.

'We are, of course, only at the start of what is a great work. ... Let us hope, God willing, that those who are presently hesitating will not take too long to be convinced about it. An economic union implies political cooperation. The ideas of  a federation and a confederation are being discussed. We are happy to see such concepts being taken up, and studied in numerous international meetings in which the most representative personalities of public opinion are participating. Now is the time for such ideas to be analysed and then supported by the governments themselves. In agreement with the Belgian Government, the French Government has proposed to follow up suggestions to call a representative Assembly of European public opinion with a view to prepare a project for organising Europe. This Assembly will have to weigh all the difficulties and propose reasonable solutions which take into account of the need of a wise and progressive development.'

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Diamond Jubilee of PEACE in Europe. 1945 -2005
                 8 and 9 May  2005
  thanks to the world's first supranational union of states and peoples, announced by the French Government by Foreign Minister  Robert Schuman on 9 MAY 1950 (Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) was 8 May 1945 in Western Europe and 9 May 1945 in the Soviet Union.)

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                 10 August 2002

Jubilee of the start of the European Coal and Steel Community
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                 18 April 2001
Jubilee of the signature of the Treaty of Paris, creating of a supranational European Community of Coal and Steel and Six Governments' pledge for the organisation of all Europe on supranational principles
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Jubilee of the Schuman Declaration proposing the creation of a supranational European Community
                 9 May 2000

Fiftieth anniversary of the birthday of the beginning of EUROPE and the European Union. Fifty years after the revolutionary Proposal of Robert Schuman, creating a new, clean start for Europe.
          SUPRANATIONAL LAW AND DEMOCRATIC SOLIDARITY REPLACED WAR.

Today the European Union embraces 25 nation states with 455 million people from the Arctic Ocean to Gibraltar, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Eastern Mediterranean, plus overseas territories in South America, the Western Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

The European system which Schuman initiated provides a means to manage common problems between European Member States. Previously these led to war. Today the peoples and governments manage their potential INTERNATIONAL problems through the RULE OF LAW without recourse to force. Democracy is mutually reinforced. Fairness is safeguarded by all. The European Union is subject to international human rights law and enjoys the solidarity and scutiny of other member states and citizens, treated as equals.
 
 More than a half-century of peace!
        Unprecedented period in history of original members states

Wars between countries of territory of six founder states of European Union: Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg. (This list does not include later members states such as Great Britain, Ireland, Denmark, Greece etc where nearly every generation was also involved in or suffered from almost continous European and colonial wars.)

May 2000    55 years of PEACE

1939-45 World War Two
1914-1918 World War One
1870-1 Franco-Prussian War
1864 German-Danish war
1848-70 Wars of Italian unification etc
1830- Belgian revolution
1792 (Valmy) -1815 French revolutionary and Napoleonic wars.
Before this: Continuous history of wars as far as records exist in this 'war zone' back to the Roman period and earlier..........

Ours is the only generation where families have not been bereaved by 'internal' wars, now for about SIXTY years.

WHAT WE NEED IS A UNITED EUROPE ORIENTED EXCLUSIVELY TOWARDS WORKS OF PEACE, A EUROPE THAT PUTS ITS EFFORTS AND RESOURCES TOGETHER TO REMAKE WHAT FIVE YEARS OF WAR HAVE DESTROYED. --- ROBERT SCHUMAN, 1949.

Call for EU RECONCILIATION TEAMS by NOBEL LAUREATE

John Hulme, North Irish Noble Peace Prize winner, called on the European Commission to provide teams to apply the philosophy of reconcilation to other areas of Europe, stricken by strife. 'Send reconciliation teams, not soldiers,' he said. A special department should be set up within the Commission, Mr Hulme urged. He was speaking at the Brussels Jubilee celebrations of the Schuman Proposal, held at the European Parliament.

Mr Hulme recalled how, as a new Member of the European Parliament in the 1970s, he had walked freely across the bridge over the Rhine linking Strasbourg in France and Kehl in Germany. In the period after the war, thirty years previously, anyone who would have said this could have happened would have been considered mad, he said. It required men of vision and action, like Robert Schuman, to make such a remarkable achievement possible, he said. Franco-German reconciliation was a great inspiration for his work and patience in trying to bring peace in Northern Ireland.

Mr Hulme added that three points needed to be remembered. 1. No person is identical. We are all individuals and we need to respect each other's differences. 2. We must build institutions that respect our differences. 3. We must work together for common interests for example in the economic area.
 

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