euro|topics - Europe's day of celebration

Main focus of Friday, May 9, 2008

Europe's day of celebration

58 years ago today, the French Foreign Minister at the time, Robert Schuman, presented the vision of a united Europe to the world. Accordingly, each year on May 9 "Europe Day" is celebrated to mark the successful realisation of this dream. But there are also critical voices in Europe's press.

Libération - France

Olivier Brachet, director of the Forum Réfugiés, and journalist Alexandra Ouraeff call attention to the situation of refugees in Europe: "Today we are supposed to celebrate Europe, without calling the symbolic content of this celebration into question ... but we are not able to do this wholeheartedly. This is not because we doubt the fundamental project of the European organisation. The EU is intended to bring great improvements in the area of asylum-seekers and refugees, but the problem is that this is not the case. ... We want refugees within the EU's borders and beyond to be protected. The responsibility of the EU member states does not end at Europe's gates. We want the successful integration of refugees in Europe. And finally we want rejected asylum-seekers to be treated with dignity. ... We hope that ... the work already begun will raise the standards of the European Union instead of maintaining them constant. If it accomplishes this, we will be able to celebrate wholeheartedly." (09/05/2008)

Göteborgs-Posten - Sweden

However frustrated we are by EU bureaucracy, Europe Day is a time for rejoicing because European unification has brought peace and prosperity, writes the paper: "People like to curse the EU, even people who like it, and with good reason. The European Parliament's continuous shuttling back and forth between Brussels and Strasbourg is a pure waste, for example, and agricultural regulations and subsidies are a heavy legacy from leaner times. But however annoyed we are by the bureaucracy in Brussels, and however incomprehensible the European Parliament's decision-making processes may be, the result is something wonderful. ... The EU is not perfect, and it never will be perfect. But Europe has never had a better alternative to war. That is why Europe Day is worth celebrating with flags and jubilation." (09/05/2008)

Dilema Veche - Romania

Luca Niculescu refers to a study put out by the Robert-Schuman-Stiftung on Europe Day: "In general, Europeans have a good opinion of Europe. Two thirds feel their attitude to the future of the EU is optimistic. ... But it is interesting that young people under 25 are far more optimistic than older adults. For the young, Europe represents a borderless territory for holidays, study and work, very much like in Cédric Klapisch's film 'Euro Pudding' Europe is a place to meet people, and makes life, studies and travel all the easier. It is also interesting that politics plays no role whatsoever for the young. But can the dreams of the so-called 'European generation' come true without politics? That is hard to believe." (09/05/2008)

Information - Denmark

The newspaper asks on Europe Day why so many young people know so little about the EU: "If it upsets you that young people cannot find Brussels on the map, the information provided to youths by the Danish government and the EU should upset you even more. Public servants and politicians are terrible at conveying knowledge, and even worse at recognising this fact. ... Beer prices and cheaper mobile phone rates are an example of how the single European market can be presented to the young. ... The point is not to trivialise and oversimplify EU topics, but to make them comprehensible and interesting. That will prompt young people to deepen their knowledge of the EU and their understanding of its many nuances." (09/05/2008)

» To the complete press review of Friday, May 9, 2008

Bookmark this page at