Europe at 50 – still a promise

Yes, this is a highly publicized event alright, and accordingly it is neither my intention to bore you with well known historical facts, nor is this the place to do so. This day, 50 years ago, the landmark Treaty of Rome was signed by the respective representatives of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy and Germany, to lay the institutional groundwork and begin what over the years developed to become the European Union of 27 that is today. It ushered in a hitherto unknown era of peace, the will to cooperate and integrate between a growing number of nations, which up to a mere dozen of years before had been battling each other to the death millionfold, it enabled an unprecedented economic growth and secured prosperity for its citizens. What this whole story signifies is nothing short of the triumph, the possibility of civilization taking the helm over cultural differences and the fatal fear of the other. And this promise that indeed the life of the peoples can be bettered, that a peace which is rooted in mutual respect but remains dependent on an unceasing effort to foster understanding and build connections can be attained and preserved, constantly renewed and relentlessly defended against its outer and inner adversaries, this promise in my estimation, to my firm belief, is still standing strong today – and it is still, by the very nature of it, not entirely fulfilled.

Discourse about what exactly defines the standards of our shared humanity is essential and must be held on all levels of social intercourse, from the personal, the Sunday family talk, to the arts that give voice to pressing social issues and the larger themes, up to the political realm, where it all comes down to making the right choices, collectively, democratically, individually. What we need is an enlargement, based on an agreed upon understanding of who (and where in the world) we are and want to be. What we must bring about, is a constitution that is balanced, breathes and pledges to preserve and further the best and the purest that is the spirit of its Humanism, a constitution that is operational and worthy of the full spectrum of our variegated heritage, worthy of all its people. What we must never give up is the constant strife to make this promise a reality, to make it work out everyday.

I for one am persistently passionate about Europe and a proud European at that. What remains the ultimate promise, the terra irredenta for me, personally, is a United States of Europe!

(pic©europaallalavagna.it)