To mark Europe Day and the 70th anniversary of the Schuman declaration, the European Parliament hosts a “stay-at-home” Open Day, where doors are opened to citizens virtually, with a programming schedule across EP media channels. This year, the focus is on EU citizens, particularly those directly helping in the crisis, as well as on informing citizens about and debating on EU solidarity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Statement by Raffaele FITTO (ECR, IT), ECR Group Leader, on our common future post-COVID-19, in the European Parliament in Brussels.

Brussels

statement

FITTO, Raffaele (ECR, IT)

70th anniversary of the Schuman declaration (T)

Open day 2020 (T)

Europe Day - Schuman Declaration Anniversary - 70 Years of Solidarity: statement by Raffaele FITTO (ECR, IT), ECR Group Leader

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/4357494/I190786Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

Raffaele FITTO (IT), ECR Co-chair We celebrate today the seventy years of the Schuman Declaration and it is a great opportunity to make a double reflection: the first on what we have been and the second on what we should be.

Raffaele FITTO (IT), ECR Co-chair Let's start from those ideals of reference. Let us start from the moment when an association of free states decided independently to get together to identify forms of cooperation that would guarantee stability balance peace on the continent European. All this was accomplished until the fall of communism.

Raffaele FITTO (IT), ECR Co-chair Since that time in Europe, the European institutions in particular those who represented them rather than taking the opportunity to revive these issues and try to create a condition for dialogue with citizens on the real issues made ideology prevail to ideals and therefore was unable to respond to the serious social economic crisis of migration but also and above all to the very serious health crisis in the face of which we find ourselves.

Raffaele FITTO (IT), ECR Co-chair Europe arrives late and badly comes with selfishness forgetting the spirit of solidarity it was meant to characterize. That is why we strongly demand that there be a change of gears that there are precise answers and that there is a Europe that is as little bureaucratic and centralised as possible and as much as possible in condition of being able to dialogue with citizens. This is our commitment. This is the best way to celebrate this anniversary.