Today's Date:

Without further delay, I want to thank straight away all the European embassies in Paris. I’m beginning with them because I made a rather strange proposal to them at the beginning of the year to open their doors – as we ourselves do with Philippe Douste-Blazy at the Quai d’Orsay – and because I wanted us to be open to the outside world so citizens can have access to these places where European integration is taking place today. Even though it wasn’t all that easy, they all agreed. So I would like to applaud this gesture in your presence and also, as you’ll see, the cooperation of the National Assembly, Senate, European Commission, European Parliament and many other ministries, which has been exemplary.

I must also thank all our partners, public and private – you have the list – because without their support, assistance and sometimes proposals, we would not have been able to make this day, 9 May, the resounding success we want it to be. Thanks to them also, Europe Day on 9 May 2006 will be rather special and exceptional.

So what is going to happen on 9 May? And first of all what is 9 May?

9 May has been “Europe Day” in all the European Union countries for 20 years, 20 years already. The date was chosen by the European Council in Milan in June 1985, in tribute to 9 May 1950 when then French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, acting at Planning Commissioner Jean Monnet’s initiative, made the declaration – in this very room – which has gone down in history as marking the start of European integration. He proposed that French and German coal and steel production – long factors and tools in war – should be pooled to become tools for peace. And that is what happened. That’s why we have 9 May. I’m not going to dwell any further on the past. That’s not the topic today. You will find the main historical facts in your press kit and on the website “feteleurope.fr”.

On the other hand, to come back to 9 May, Europe Day in all our countries. To say that we’ve noticed it a great deal in France would be a bit excessive so I won’t say that. Let’s say that we’ve noticed it sometimes, but not often, and it seemed to us that 20 years was a sufficient age for us to begin to notice it and especially to celebrate it properly. Properly, in my view that’s positively.

So why do this? Quite simply because this day, with a few others though not that many, gives us the opportunity to step back a bit, to think about everything that has happened, about the time since 9 May 1950, about what has been accomplished since the day of the Schuman Declaration in this very room. And if we do take a few moments to think back, I believe we would have a better picture of something I deeply believe in: in spite of the thousand difficulties in building Europe, the thousand complexities, the thousand imperfections, there’s one moment – and forgive me, I’m going to be direct – there’s one moment when we need to think clearly. Know what we want. Remember where we’ve come from: I’m referring here to the European continent before the European enterprise, ravaged century after century by wars and destruction. We need to realize that Europe is our common asset, quite simply, that it will be what we make of it collectively, that it doesn’t come from the sky and that we all share responsibility, whether we are satisfied or dissatisfied. Frankly, if we take time to think back, I believe that we must pay tribute to it, hail what has already been done and struggle to make it better still. That is why we wanted to give the twentieth anniversary of Europe Day a quite special meaning this year and make it a day for celebration, meetings, debates and reflexion.

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I’m not ashamed of Europe, I’m proud. The word doesn’t embarrass me. I’m proud of being French and European. That’s the meaning we want to give 9 May. What is more, Europe is following its course, it is moving forward step by step with high and low points, and difficulties. We have often spoken of the European project so I’m not going to refer to it today. We decided to highlight what we call “the Europe of projects,” a Europe that is more concrete, which better responds to citizens’ expectations and concerns. First, in the economic and social areas, then in energy. As you’ve noticed for example, the preliminary bases for a future European energy policy were set out in the period of a few months, but that is another subject.

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Thank you again for coming, and for your interest and your patience. So follow up 9 May!./.