"After communism and the end of divisions, the European Union cannot be just a economic and monetary union, it must be based on values". This is the belief of Herbert Schambeck, emeritus president of the Federal Senate of the Republic of Austria, who spoke in Rome today at the meeting named "The Republican Constitution. Foundations, principles and values, between the present and the future". With reference to values in the constitutional development of Europe, Schambeck complained of the lack of an "invocatio Dei". Specifically, the Lisbon Treaty "contains no reference to the Christian roots that have made Europe", he pointed out, highlighting that they were the driving forces behind the work of the founding fathers, from Alcide De Gasperi to Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman and Konrad Adenauer. "In this context he added , we must be particularly grateful to John Paul II and now to Benedict XVI, who have emphasised this element, extending the debate on the Christian roots of Europe".
