On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of German reunification Lothar DE MAIZIERES and Jacques DELORS addresse in a formal sitting in the European Parliament in Brussels.

Brussels

speech

BUZEK, Jerzy (EPP, PL)

EU - Germany (T)

formal sitting

anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall (T)

DELORS, Jacques (FR)

DE MAIZIÈRE, Lothar (DE)

20th anniversary of German reunification: extracts of the formal sitting addresses by Lothar DE MAIZIERES and Jacques DELORS

SOUNDBITE (English), Jerzy Karol BUZEK, EP President, We remember from the history, twenty year ago, the reunification of Germany... European institutions played a very important role... He gives the floor to Mr de Maizi&egrave;re.

SOUNDBITE (German), Lothar DE MAIZI&#200;RE, The east Germans have freed themselves, have defeated an inhuman regime, brought down the wall, held democratic elections and effected far reaching change. People who had previously declared 'we are the people' a few weeks later were to declare: 'we are one people'. So much happened in a short time, people acted with pride and self confidence. Against the backdrop of today's crisis I think we can safely say that we can overcome any crisis. 

SOUNDBITE (German), Lothar DE MAIZI&#200;RE, I am grateful that I was able to show the responsibility and that I continued to serve Brandenburg, which is my home. And that I was able to serve Germany and Europe, whose future is the future of us all. 

SOUNDBITE (French), Jacques DELORS, former President of the EC, Twenty years later, having gone through a financial crisis, the European project still has many questions hanging over it, and the 27 member states face a massive historic responsibility: deepening European integration, or live on a day to day basis, through necessary compromises but compromises that do not really offer much for the future.

SOUNDBITE (French), Jacques DELORS, former President of the EC, he reunified Germany is the economic powerhouse of the Union. It represents 25% of the GDP in the economic and monetary Union. I say this because is this monetary and economic Union that is the strongest bind between the European countries. People who share the same currency, who have rights and who have duties and many people in Europe tend to forget the importance of this. People who share the same currency, who have rights and who have duties and many people in Europe tend to forget the importance of this.

SOUNDBITE (French), Jacques DELORS, former President of the EC, He explains what he did after the reunification ceremony, 20 years ago, in Berlin: 'I went out to the streets of Berlin to get a sense of what the people was feeling, and there was gravitas too, joy at the same time but without exuberance, without ostentations parade. It was a calm night, people thinking back of the divisions of the past, the anguish of families turned apart by an act of history, it was a calm night, where I show Europe come out of its hatred and conflict, a Europe that I wanted to see united, strong and generous... And let me say there is still a lot to do to consolidate what we have achieved and to move forward. Thank you. 