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Juan Carlos Moreno Piñero Who Will the New Schuman Be? JUAN CARLOS MORENO PIÑERO DIRECTOR OF THE EUROPEAN AND IBERO-AMERICAN ACADEMY OF YUSTE FOUNDATION This is the full version of the extract of the article that was published in the newspaper HOY with the same title on 24 May 2020. The old Book of Psalms (90:10) proclaims that "The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble”. This biblical reference comes in good time and once it is over because on 9 May we were able to commemorate the seventieth anniversary of the declaration made by Robert Schuman (1886-1963) at the Salon de l'horloge del Quai d'Orsay in Paris. This concise and not at all exciting text marked the beginning of a path of reconciliation and of the future, the beginning of the process of European construction through a risky venture, a "leap into the unknown", as Schuman stated on that same occasion. Next to him stood Jean Monnet (1888-1979), a true inspirer, together with his collaborators who worked on the content of the declaration. The Schuman plan was in fact the Monnet plan, who never claimed authorship for himself. Moreover, he did not hesitate to acknowledge in his memoirs (1976) that the Schuman Declaration was "the most audacious and constructive initiative since the end of the war, a creative effort which was the first foundation of the union of Europe". Close to the pro-European sentiment were also Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967) and Alcide de Gasperi (1881-1954)1. They all had one thing in common: they had lived through the two world wars, they had held responsibilities in their national governments, and so somehow they belonged to a generation of losers, of political leaders who, having suffered the disasters of the first war, were unable to avoid an even greater one only two decades later. Faithful examples of the only animal that stumbles over the same stone twice. Five years after the end of World War II, Europe was still stained with the blood that had drenched its fields. The physical, moral and material wounds caused by the conflict had not yet been healed. The question was whether to let them heal or cauterise them, any treatment was good enough before leaving them open. In 1950, Europe beat to the rhythm marked by its desire for reconstruction, doubtful among various possible options: the 1 Although there is a majority opinion that Schuman, Monnet, Adenauer and De Gasperi should be considered "Fathers of Europe", we cannot forget many others who have contributed significantly to the process of European construction -as the Commission acknowledges- such as, Winston Churchill (1874- 1965), Walter Hallstein (1901-1982), Altiero Spinelli (1907-1986), Paul-Henri Spaak (1899-1972), Joseph Bech (1887-1975), Johan Willem Beyen (1897-1976), Nicole Fontaine (1942-Lotula, Ursann-1991) (1920- 1999), Marga Komplé (1912-1986), Sicco Mansholt (1908-1995), Melina Mercouri (1920-1994) and Carlos V European Award winner Simone Veil (1927-2017), among others. May these lines serve as a modest tribute of gratitude to them. NEWSLETTER OF THE ACADEMY OF YUSTE Nº 05. May 2020 1 ISSN 2695-7027 supremacy of the victor or mercy for the defeated; Versailles or Nuremberg; the union of forces or the law of the strongest; submission to a foreign power or the beginning of an uncertain path of its own; memory or forgetfulness, which is even more painful than death. In the words of Schuman in his book Pour l'Europe (1963), Europe was therefore “at a crossroads”. It was one of the stellar moments of Humanity, an instant in history in which two comets cross that either greet each other or crash causing a stellar chaos. Surely, many will wonder why the beginning of a historical process such as this one is represented in a boring, prosaic text, that is dull, lacks great national or supranational patriotic statements, grandiloquent words, of which only a few phrases are remembered which are constantly repeated as a psalmody. Why it was not written in a solemn text like the one of the United States’ Declaration of Independence, which proclaims as evident the truths that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights among which are life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness. Why a bad speaker and worse communicator such as Robert Schuman acquired the historical relevance he obtained that day in a press conference that ended hastily as he had to take the train. Perhaps it was the gift of opportunity, being in the right place at the right time. It possibly had something to do with the fact that Schuman was not a political star as such - which gave him a credibility mark- or perhaps that he was an essentially honest man and was recognised as such; or it could be that he and Jean Monnet had the foresight to see where others only looked: that the union of Europe would be forged through the joint production of coal and steel. Whichever the reason, the truth is that the Schuman Declaration marked a before and an after and that "closed a stage in the history of Europe with robust doors ", a wise expression of our dear member of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste, D. Marcelino Oreja Aguirre, in his prologue in the Spanish edition of Pour l'Europe2. Europe is once again facing a difficult situation. It is true that present day challenges are different from those of yesteryear, but the life expectancy and aspirations of people were the same then and now. In 1950 and in 2020, even before and very possibly after, every human being seeks in essence the same thing: an existence in peace, devoid of conflicts, and if these are irremediable, confidence in an independent and effective Justice; a healthy life, sheltered with the tranquillity that the existence of a public welfare system gives; the practice of solidarity as mortar of coexistence; to have resources that allow everyone to meet basic needs; the search for economic growth that is not at the expense of people; the enjoyment of a sustainable, 2 Por Europa. (2006). University Institute of European Studies, San Pablo CEU University. NEWSLETTER OF THE ACADEMY OF YUSTE Nº 05. May 2020 2 ISSN 2695-7027 clean and balanced environment as the perfect scenario for harmonious coexistence. Seventy years are the days of our life, eighty perhaps, and then toil and trouble, the psalm says. Seventy years have passed since the Schuman Declaration. Are we to understand that from now on only decrepitude remains? The answer is not easy, or maybe it is. And if it is easy, I’m sorry to say that I have not found it yet, which is further evidence against my intelligence. All I can say is that Europe is once again experiencing a situation that needs to be reconstructed. As occurred after the Second World War, Europe is ailing and weak. It had not yet recovered from the disease caused by the economic crisis that began in 2008 when it was plunged into the painful crisis of migrants and refugees. For a few months now, it has suffered a serious relapse as a result of the health pandemic, which, unlike the two previous crises, affects everyone equally. Some may say that the economic crisis did not affect them because they had sufficient resources; others, that refugees and migrants, because they are far away, are not their concern; but no one can assure that the virus will pass by their door without branding it with the stigma of death. Europe was thought of as an area of peace and today it has to be rethought as an area of peace and life. Europe has been built for decades with the desire to be united in diversity, but today it must also be united against adversity. We have the problem, now let us look for the solution. Who will the new Schuman who leads it be? Where is the Monnet, Adenauer and De Gasperi to accompany him? Who will be the loser who, far from being sorry, knows how to draw conclusions from the mistakes made? He is surely nowhere to be found yet, but is expected, alert, in case, as happened with Diogenes of Sinope, who roamed the streets of Athens with a lit lamp looking for an honest person, we have to walk the streets of Europe looking for a man or woman who wants to take up the flag that Robert Schuman raised 70 years ago. NEWSLETTER OF THE ACADEMY OF YUSTE Nº 05. May 2020 3 ISSN 2695-7027 .
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