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From all so called Founding Fathers of the Europe Union, four of them were active in the European Parliament: Paul-Henri Spaak, Alcide de Gasperi and Robert Schuman have been President of the Parliament. The fourth one was perhaps no President but the best know member of the European Parliament ever: Altiero Spinelli. He was also the last one of them that died, 25 years ago.

And today, 25 years later, we could ask ourselves: what would the founding fathers and especially Spinelli think about the current state of the Union? I think he would be very glad. At least until some years ago. Since 1986 we have a functioning Internal Market, we had Maastricht, the reunification of Europe with many new member-states, we have a common currency, the euro, Schengen and almost a European Constitution.

Almost. Because since the negative referenda in France and The Netherlands, I am sure Spinelli would have been less happy with the evolution of his dream, the European Union. I am sure that Spinelli and the other founding fathers would be surprised and ask us: why have you dropped the Community method? The method we have been fighting for since the very beginning? Why this intergovernmental method? Has it not been clear since the Lisbon Strategy that it simply doesn’t work?

I am sure that Altiero Spinelli would be astonished and extremely worried to see how nationalism and populism is coming back as if the last sixty years didn’t exist. As if his imprisonment during the Second World War didn’t serve any purpose at all.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a good moment to celebrate Altiero Spinelli. A moment when the euro and the solidarity in the eurozone are under enormous pressure. A moment when France and Italy are playing games on the back of Tunisian refugees. A moment when Denmark is even reintroducing border controls. A moment when there is no common answer to the economic crisis. A moment when we even don’t manage to back for the full hundred percent the Arab population fighting for liberty and democracy.

There is only one way to go: we have to go back to the principles, the convictions and the method of Altiero Spinelli. We have to go back to what Spinelli believed, to the conviction of the founding fathers: the solution to the problems of today is not less, but more integration, not less, but more Europe.