Feature photo: Parliament building in Vienna | © Curiosity Nose on Pixabay
"Fortunately we are united," said the Berlin declaration of the EU heads of state and government on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome in 2007. I wrote at this point, "the European success story continues. … Peace and freedom have long since become a matter of course for us Europeans.”
In this year, a year of several fateful European elections, such choices of words bring in a time of incessant attacks by a Russian presidential dictatorship on the free world and the drifting of friendly neighboring states into totalitarianism, as well as an expected four-year "headlessness" of our most important ally and partner , probably nobody more on the lips or even on paper!
Nevertheless, the following facts remain valid: Our world's resources are finite and most of them can be found outside of Europe. Europe's share of the world's population will continue to decline and will soon be below 5%. The prosperity accumulated in Europe and the infrastructure, which is still exemplary, motivate many dispossessed and hopeless people from all over the world to seek their fortune in Europe. Technological competence and innovation, on the other hand, is slowly but surely migrating from Europe and to regions that want and are able to offer better living conditions to the high-performing and willing people there.
Populism, nationalism and totalitarianism are not concepts that can meet the challenges listed above or offer viable solutions to at least secure a future for the European peoples and states and, if possible, in freedom, peace and prosperity.
I therefore call on all responsible citizens, democrats and European federalists to clearly reject the Putins, Trumps and Le Pens of this world and to get more involved in the democratic and social structures and processes of our common Europe. If not now then when?!
The EUROPA-UNION Heilbronn and our youth organization, the Young Europeans - JEF Heilbronn, offer many opportunities for engagement. Please use this and this before it's too late for all of us! Come to our events and campaigns, read our calls and declarations and if possible, become a member of us - a member of the largest citizens' movement for a free, peaceful, united, democratic, federal and prosperous Europe.
We all know that commitment is work and takes time. On Saturday, May 13, 2017, at Kiliansplatz in Heilbronn, we will show that your commitment can also produce very positive personal experiences, where we will be celebrating what is now the 28th European Meeting Place with tens of thousands of people from Heilbronn and their guests, and at the same time showing our commitment to a Europe united in diversity and thus for the future of our children and grandchildren!
"Every person takes the limits of their own field of vision for the limits of the world."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Psychological Observations (Studies in Pessimism)
