The European Movement: What is it? Who are we?

Enrique Baron Crespo, leader of the European socialists in the European Parliament, and a former president of the European Movement, once recounted how he had originally heard of the European Movement.

It was 1962, on the occasion of the Movement's Munich congress. The Spanish press, then controlled by dictator Francisco Franco, was conducting a defamatory campaign against the European Movement.

The anger of the Franco regime had been ignited by the fact that representatives of the Spanish democratic Opposition, most of them in exile, were for the first time since the civil war attending the Munich congress. At the time, the Franco regime was seeking Spain's entry into the European Community.

"It was just this reaction of the Franco regime which stirred up my interest and sympathy for the European Movement. I procured the resolution of the 1948 congress as well as the 'Appeal to Europeans'... I read them with interest ..."

Churchill kicks off the game

The European Movement was born in 1948, just three years after the end of the Second World War, at the Congress of Europe, which met in The Hague. It was inspired by Winston Churchill's appeal, made in a speech delivered at the University of Zurich in 1946, in which Europe's most respected elder statesman called for the formation of a "United States of Europe".

Churchill envisaged that "the structure of the United States of Europe, if well and truly built, will be such as to make the material strength of a single state less important. Small nations will count as much as large ones and gain their honour by their contribution to the common cause."

He stopped short of elaborating further on the structure of such a union, "I shall not try to make a detailed programme for hundreds of millions of people who want to be happy and free, prosperous and safe, who want to enjoy the four freedoms... if this is their wish, they have only to say so and means can certainly be found and the machinery erected, to carry that wish into full fruition."

A new child is born

Churchill's approach to European union was a decisive break with the past and a historic moment in Europe's history. Up to then, and for centuries, many had sought to unite Europe under their rule by the force of arms, war, conquest and empire-building.

What Churchill was proposing was radically different: European unity would be based on individual freedom and the free will of every European state wishing to join the project. It was to be a voluntary act of the "able and willing".

Churchill's Zurich speech galvanised the supporters of European unity. An International Committee of the Movements for European Unity, uniting several organisations working for European unity, was set up with Winston Churchill as its honorary president.

This signalled the birth of the European Movement, which also owes much for its ideas to the pre-war Pan-Europa Movement of Count Goudenhove Kalargi. The European Movement has played a pivotal role in the development of European union, always putting the citizen at the heart of the process.

The committee headed by Churchill organised a congress, which met at The Hague between May 7 and 10, 1948. Very important decisions were taken at this congress among which were: the establishment of the Council of Europe comprising the Parliamentary Assembly, the European Human Rights Convention and the European Court of Human Rights; the founding of the College of Europe in Bruges and the formation of the European Movement.

Around 800 prominent Europeans participated in the 1948 Congress of Europe at The Hague. They included politicians, tradeunionists and businessmen. Among the many men of letters we find the British philosopher Bertrand Russel and his French colleague Raymond Aron.

Indeed, the participation of leading thinkers and writers in such pan-European projects was not a novelty at all. A conference organised in Paris in 1945 to discuss concrete plans towards European union on federalist lines included Albert Camus, George Orwell, Emmanuel Mounier and André Philippe.

Some other prominent participants included Churchill himself and Harold MacMillan; former French Prime Ministers Paul Ramadier and Paul Reynaud and Francois Mitterrand, then a new and relatively obscure minister. The world of artists was represented by, among others, Anton van Duninkerken.

Leaders who had distinguished themselves in the anti-fascist struggle were also present, among them Altiero Spinelli and Enrico Rossi. The Dutch Hendrik Brugmans, survivor of Dachau, also participated. He was later to be appointed the first Rector of the College of Europe established in Bruges.

Another participant was Jean Monnet who in 1950 inspired the Schuman Declaration that led to the formation of the European Coal and Steel Community and Paul-Henri Spaak, Prime Minister of Belgium, who later took a leading role in the formation of the European Economic Community between 1955 and 1958.

The German delegation included Konrad Adenauer, who later became Chancellor of Germany, and Walter Hallstein, who subsequently became President of the European Commission.

Prominent leaders

The European Movement elects a president every two years, usually a prominent European personality, who heads the Federal Council. The current president is Jose-Maria Gil Robles, a Spaniard and former President of the European Parliament.

Other prominent past presidents of the European Movement include Duncan Sandys, Paul-Henri Spaak, Robert Schuman, Maurice Faure, Walter Hallstein, Jean Rey, Giuseppe Petrilli, Gaston Thorn, Enrique Baron Crespo, Valery Giscard D'Estaing and Mario Soares.

The leading body of the European Movement is the Federal Council, composed of representatives of the various councils of the Movement established in nearly all the European states. The European Movement is a secular organisation that works for the realisation of European unity on federalist lines. Individuals from all the European mainstream political parties and movements participate in it - socialists, Christian Democrats, conservatives, liberals, greens and many more.

The European Movement (Malta)

The European Movement (Malta) was established on December 11, 1965, from among the trade union movement and the CMTU. From the start, the European Movement (Malta) has worked to see Malta eventually joining the European Union.

In December 1975, to mark its 10th anniversary, the European Movement (Malta) declared that European unity without Malta would not be complete. It added that membership led not only to economic and financial advantages for Malta but it also "reaffirms our commitment to the observance and the protection of the rights of men and of free citizens in a democratic state"

Furthermore, the European Movement (Malta) emphasised that EU membership affirms Malta's additional commitment "to work for freedom, peace and justice."

As a member of the EU "Malta can also render its full services as a centre for cultural and spiritual dialogue between the peoples of Europe and those of the Mediterranean region."

Fired by this idealism the European Movement (Malta) appealed to "all concerned to accelerate Malta's accession to the EEC. Meanwhile it is important that Maltese citizens be granted the right of individual petition to the European Court of Human Rights."

It closed its appeal by inviting "all those who share its ideals to give their help so that these aims can be achieved."

37 years, 27 years later...

Thirty-seven years since its establishment, 27 years since its 1975 declaration which made it the first Maltese organisation to call for EU membership, the European Movement (Malta) maintains its bearings.

"Yes" for EU membership, good to speak of the economic advantages of being in but Europe means much more than that for us. It also means improving the security of individual citizens by strengthening the role of human rights and freedoms.

It means joining a society of states and peoples based on solidarity, the four freedoms, consumer protection, safer food and drinking water, better quality air... We cherish Europe for its values as much as for its material wealth.

Consistency? We claim continuity as well.

Why membership is good for Malta - The false hopes of 'new' economic theories

"New" economic theory is being written in Malta, thanks to the EU membership debate. According to the canons of this "new" theory, Lm80 million injected into the Maltese economy by the EU over three years following membership are a recipe for disaster but if nothing is injected (as would be the case if we refuse membership) then the Maltese economy will fare better.

The august Nobel committee is scratching its head. How could such outstanding theory nurture and grow in such a small and peripheral state as Malta? It smacks very much of that other "great" theory that led to VAT being replaced by CET.

"Old" and tried economic wisdom proclaims that if Malta joins the EU, economic opportunities will increase, new export markets will open up, the allocation of factors of production would improve, price competition will castigate inflation and improve efficiency, foreign direct investment is likely to increase and all these together will lead to job increases and a multiplier effect.

Now top up this 'natural' growth of the economy with an additional injection of Lm80 million over three years and economic growth will be magnified even more.

This will make everyone better off and help Government to continue tackling the problems without burdening citizens with more taxes. The "new" economic theory being preached from one party club to another makes the astounding claim that more money from the EU means Maltese citizens will be taxed more. Understand?

Tried and old economic wisdom holds that if we stay out of the EU and in a free trade area scenario, the Maltese economy will still have to undertake the major costs of adjustment required by membership, its attractiveness to foreign investment will be less, the costs would be just as large and there will be no Lm80 million and slower economic growth. Can this be better than membership?

The European Movement's plain answer is "no". Time to put reason before politicking.

We wish all readers a happy and prosperous New Year that will see the Maltese citizens join the European family finally.