With twenty-five colours ” “

The streets thronged with pedestrians, and wrested from their usual drabness; the headquarters of the European institutions taken by storm by teenagers in t-shirts and families with prams and coloured balloons. And then the stalls displaying handicrafts, local cheeses, beer; gipsy music and Iberian dances; traditional costumes of the Baltic Republics; flags of every nation… A Brussels transformed, a Brussels out of the ordinary, enthusiastically welcomed the enlargement of 1st May. Tens of thousands of visitors peacefully invaded the “home” of the Parliament in the Rue Wiertz, that of the Commission in the Avenue d’Auderghem and, just round the corner, that of the Council in the Rue de la Loi. (Gianni Borsa, SIR correspondent in Brussels) A BRIGHTLY COLOURED THRONG IN THE INSTITUTIONAL SEATS. Everywhere there are stands to publicize the EU’s activities and policies, displays to enable visitors to discover the new member countries of the Union through their scenic beauties or the specialities of their cuisine, games for children, a euro-quiz for grown-ups, concerts, balloon ascents, souvenirs. In the park of the Cinquantenaire an unexpectedly large crowd gathers to see at close hand this Europe that, amid political perplexities and some economic fears, is making a name for itself. “For us it’s all new – explains Marios, a young Cypriot, among the animators of a stand a few steps from the Breydel, seat of the EU Executive -. On the eve of this festivity an important referendum failed in our country and we entered the Union as a still divided island. But I think that our presence among the Twenty-Five will contribute to the growth of the whole of Cyprus and to the achievement of the hoped for reunification in a few years time”. The long queue leading to the entrance of the huge building of the European Parliament is enlivened by a group of Polish schoolchildren dressed in white t-shirts and red baseball caps. “At home I’ve heard a lot of talk about Europe – says 11-year-old Zofia, from a little town not far from Stettin -. Our priest spoke about it in church and said that we must have trust in it”. John, from England, EU administrator attached to the Economic and Social Committee, strolls with his wife through the stands: “Probably the overall wealth of the EU today is less than what it was in the past, but I’m one of those who places peace, democracy and human rights in first place. All this has a price…”. “UNITY IN DIVERSITY”: A MOTTO, A CHALLENGE. Glitches are not lacking on this day of celebration. For instance, for the guided visits to the Council of Ministers it’s difficult to find a guide that knows Estonian, Hungarian or Greek: yet foreigners are numerous among the immigrants and tourists who have come for the occasion. In the “babel” of the 20 official languages people try to communicate with a mixture of French and English, but even German is now gaining ground.” We Slovaks are convinced that we have much to gain from entry into the EU: our agriculture can be modernized, so too our industries and universities – explains Pavol, student from Bratislava who hopes to be able to spend an internship within the Commission -. However many people fear having to renounce our identity, our culture. I don’t think this will happen. For, after all, the motto of the EU is Unity in diversity“. Liene, senior secondary teacher, comes from Riga: “I’ve come here with various other fellow-Latvians. We want to enable others to get to know the natural beauties of our land, but above all we would like to know something more about this European Union. In recent years we’ve heard a lot of talk about it, we’ve made sacrifices to be able to transform Latvia into a modern state. Society too is changing; we have decades of Communism behind us; now we are looking to the future with trust”. COMMUNITY POLICIES AT THE SERVICE OF CITIZENS. The exhibition stands of the institutions distribute brochures and maps of the 25-member Europe. There’s a big demand for the promotional material, as if there’s a growing wish to know more about fifty years of the history of integration, the relations between the various EU organizations, and the relations between them and the member states. Antonio, from Portugal, EU bureaucrat since 1987, is acting as a guide to a group of French-speaking citizens in a tour of the headquarters of the European Council. Replying to the question of a man from Luxembourg, he says: “One realises that the Union is often felt by citizens to be distant from the ordinary lives of citizens. Yet in this seat, as in that of the Parliament or the Commission, our constant endeavour is to make laws and take decisions to improve the living standards of people. It’s not easy, there are setbacks, but Europe has enjoyed a half-century of peace and prosperity also thanks to European integration. Today, with enlargement, this challenge is becoming even greater and, for that reason, more exciting”.