” ” ” “"On the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of Altiero Spinelli’s birth, I would like to honour the memory of this great and extraordinary European for the contribution he made to the building of the EU". José Manuel Barroso, President of the EU Commission, recalls one of the authors of the integration of the EU on the anniversary of his birth. Born in Rome on August 31st 1907, an antifascist politician and a writer, Spinelli was one of the authors of the Manifesto of Ventotene ("For a free, united Europe") that he developed with some of his fellow prisoners in 1941; this is one of the reasons why he is considered one of the founders of the international federalist movement. A member of the EU Commission from 1970 to 1976, in 1979he became a Member of the Strasbourg Parliament, where he drew up the draft for the Treaty on the European Union, which was adopted by the Assembly in 1984. At present one of the buildings that host the 27-member Parliament in Brussels has been named after him. Barroso explains: "Along with the other founding fathers, such as Alcide De Gasperi, he embodied Italy’s longing for a politically-powerful Europe at the service of its citizens". Spinelli’s work "inspired the future generations of European leaders and was decisive to help Europe move from its divisions to unity".” “
