EPP: Europe’s day – a continent without memory is a continent without future
As we mark today the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration of 9 May, 1950, the President of the European People’s Party, Joseph DAUL, recalls the reconciliation of nations, peoples and cultures living in peace thanks to the European project:
“The European Union will always remain a project that will continuously evolve. The EU represents freedom, democracy, solidarity and unity. These common values are here to protect European citizens and our way of life. As long as we choose not to forget our past, the European project is one we can all embrace, and Europe is the place we can all call home. This is what we remember and celebrate on 9 May.
Not so long ago, competing nations decided to sit down together, put aside their differences and live in peace. Over the years, they have created an unprecedented union of democracy and prosperity, with the highest living standards, social security and income distribution in the whole world. These European achievements must neither be taken for granted nor forgotten, because a continent without memory is a continent without a future.
Today, the voices that call Europe an obsolete project have no memory. The populists that twist the truth and promote their own agendas and ambitions have no vision. In order to be able to criticize Europe, one needs to be able to put a concrete offer on the table. The simple truth, though, is that there is no such thing as an alternative to Europe. The EU is the best answer to the biggest challenges of our times, as it was also the best answer for overcoming decades of war 70 years ago.
Europe has come a long way since the 9th of May, 1950. In order to better address the concerns of our citizens, we must continue to adapt the European project to current challenges. Europe is the only answer to a better future and remains our only way forward.”