The roots and the future

"Creating a place for history and for the future", where European identity may continue evolving. It is the purpose of the House of European History according to the former EP president, MEP Hans-Gert Pöttering (EPP-DE). A few days ago Mr. Pöttering and Professor Wlodzimierz Borodziej, Chair of the Academic Committee of the House of European History, re-launched the guidelines of the future museum, due to be inaugurated in 2014, "that is expected to be a crucial year, as regards the new elections of the EU Assembly" Pöttering said. Where does the idea spring from? On February 13 2007 Hans-Gert Pöttering, neo-president of the European Parliament, in his parliamentary program mentioned the proposal of the House of European History for the first time. "It should be a place where a memory of European history and the work of European unification is jointly cultivated, and which at the same time is available as a locus for the European identity to go on being shaped by present and future citizens of the European Union". Ensuing an in-depth debate, in 2008 the Assembly unanimously voted in favour of the proposal and appointed an expert committee of nine high-ranking European historians and museum experts from throughout the EU. The House of European History will be established in the Eastman Building in Brussels, in the heart of Leopold Park, near the European Institutions in Brussels. The plan is for a modern museum with a 4-thousand sq.mt permanent exhibition on European history, with a display area of approximately 800 sq mt. for temporary exhibits. In addition, the creation of an information centre is being proposed in which visitors can obtain more detailed material about European history and current affairs, initially in the most widely spoken languages: English, German and French. The plan includes multimedia and interactive displays, didactic tours with audio guides in at least 24 languages, that will further involve visitors. Purpose and budget. The permanent exhibition will focus on 20th century European history and on the history of European integration, with additional information on the major historical developments of the previous centuries. For Wlodzimierz Borodziej – the Museum’s objective "is not to present an outline of national histories but rather to observe historical phenomena through transnational and European lenses". It is also intended to boost citizens’ involvement in the political life and in the decision-making processes of united Europe, as stipulated in article 151 of the Treaty regulating the EU integration process: "It is the task of the European Union to contribute to the improvement of the knowledge and dissemination of the culture and history of the European peoples". At present, cost estimates for the restructuring and expansion works of the building amount to 31 billion euro, 21 million for the permanent exhibition and the first temporary exhibition, while almost 4 million will serve to increase the collection. "The European Parliament will cover the costs, but a part could be co-funded by the Commission, given the availability of president José Manuel Barroso", Pöttering said. Some questions. It is certainly an ambitions project which expectedly triggered polemics, notably regarding the budget, given the ongoing financial crisis and in the light of the recent celebrations of the first 100 days of the Parlamentarium, the EU visitors centre in Brussels, that showcases the activity of the European Parliament and other EU institutions, with a large part dedicated to the history of integration. "The House of European History is not a duplicate of already present realities. Its objective is to provide a complete journey within European identity, so as to offer visitors a 360 journey in an area of few square meters", the MEP pointed out. The two museums, the House and the Parlamentarium, are marked by different premises and objectives. According to the former EP President: "The visit to the Parliamentarium and to the hemicycle, where the plenary session is ongoing, highlight the role and purpose of the European Parliament, while the purpose of our museum is more closely linked to the history of the nations that made Europe". To those who accused the promoters of the project to use it as a tool for political propaganda in view of the upcoming European elections, Borodziej and Pöttering replied that "utmost neutrality will be ensured in the approach to political, economic, historical and cultural themes, since experts and politicians supporting this initiatives have different backgrounds and academic formation".