Sixty years of Europe

Europe is over sixty years old. As should be the case for every anniversary, good wishes have been expressed, while a quick glance is directed to the path undertaken, looking ahead with faith. The official baptism of the first experience of supranational concerted action involving six nations of the Old Continent (Germany, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) dates back to April 18 1951: the ratification of the Treaty of Paris sanctioned the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), that resulted from the commitment of numerous statesmen, on the wake of the initiative of Robert Schuman and Jean Monnet from France, by Konrad Adenauer from Germany and by Alcide De Gasperi from Italy. The path had been indicated a year earlier, on May 9 1950, in the Schuman Declaration, which stated: “World peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which threaten it… Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity… It proposes that Franco-German production of coal and steel as a whole be placed under a common High Authority, within the framework of an organization open to the participation of the other countries of Europe”. This will “provide for the setting up of common foundations for economic development as a first step in the federation of Europe”.ECSC became operative on July 23 1952 and served as a model to extend the cooperation of the founding countries, until the Treaties of Rome of March 25 1957, a pillar of the EEC, the European Economic Community, for the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The ensuing developments of these three communities, along with the revision of the treaties, led to the establishment, in 1992, of the current European Union. Its 27 Member States and its 500 million citizens make the EU a major player on the world scenario, as guarantor of peace and democracy within its borders, committed to address the challenges of the global era with the guiding criteria of solidarity and subsidiarity, as provided for in the Lisbon Treaty. This is history. The sixtieth birthday requires the EU to undertake choices and commitments under the banner of its “full maturity”. Thus not only hopes, but wishes too. Since the creation of the ECSC was marked by remarkable “concreteness”, it is expected that its legitimate heir, the EU, will produce visible results for the benefit of its citizens. Targets have been set in various fields, i.e. the economy, employment, energy supply, consumer protection, environment, research, culture, security, and in other relevant areas, considering that Member States have transferred a part of their legislative and political authority to the institutions in Brussels and Strasbourg. The results – available in many other fields – will persuade the public opinion that Europe is necessary, notably in the increasingly complex and interdependent international realm. For this to take place, common institutions must grow stronger and improve their decisional power. For this, the Lisbon Treaty was drawn up, which came into force a year ago, whose minor amendments will enable the European Stability Mechanism, targeted at financial stability and economic governance. However, the consolidation of the EU and of her institutions largely depends on national governments: the “intergovernmental character” still prevails in Community Europe, thus the EU27 governments, gathered in the Council are granted major decisional power as compared to that of the European Parliament and Commission, the two most “communtarian” institutions. If European premiers will renounce the weapon of nationalisms and partisan interests, which caused a slowdown in the integration process over the past years, new development and performance options will open up for the EU. It is hoped that the EU will boost citizens’ involvement in view of true participatory democracy, expounded in the “citizens’ initiative” of the Lisbon Treaty, whereby one million citizens, from any number of member countries, will be able to file a proposal for a European Law. Indeed, the new Treaty provides for Churches’ and religious communities’ involvement in the integration process, acknowledging the scope of their representativity, their moral authoritativeness and their rooted presence in Europe’s past and present. It is a commitment – and a challenge – which Christian communities have been determinedly addressing for a long time already.Last but not least, it is expected that the EU will become a world protagonist in the promotion of peace, democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms (notably the freedom of religion, severely threatened and violated only a few days ago). These values are inscribed within the DNA of Community Europe.