MEPs mark the creation of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952, with a ceremony in the hemicycle in Strasbourg. Statement by Alexander DE CROO, Belgian Prime Minister. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

statement

Strasbourg

plenary session

European Parliament

ceremony

DE CROO, Alexander (BE)

70th anniversary of the European Parliament (T)

Ceremony of the 70th anniversary of the European Parliament: statement by Alexander DE CROO, Belgian Prime Minister

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, Madam President. Prime Minister. Mr. Prime Minister. The film that you showed us brings back some good memories, some memories of when I was younger people I was lucky enough to work with, such as President Sassoli. These are people that to me represent Europe, such as the first woman president, Simon Veil.

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, I have a speech in institutional speech. I will give you a copy, of course, with all the thanks that are in that speech. But actually after this film, I want to say something else. So, of course, a very happy 70th anniversary. Prime Minister, the coup is talks about bringing the citizens closer to Europe, and I'm sure promises of them will say similar things when it comes to Strasbourg.

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, But I think each capital and each citizen needs to be brought closer to this European project, we all know. I would like to thank the Inspector General based in Luxembourg. I think we have very good relations and we will of course continue to do everything we can for these people.

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, We wouldn't be able to do our work without, but I would like to come back to Simon Ryan. Here we are in an assembly was created in 1952, so before the Treaty of Rome seven years earlier, France and Germany that had previously been at war. The war that had ended in 1945, seven years later, that was a decision to build something together in a parliamentary assembly, to create something different rather than destroy each other to create something together.

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, Why do I think that Simone Veilis such an important symbol? She was a survivor of the concentration camps. We had these concentration camps on European territory. This was the result of an extreme nationalism, the darkest ideology we knew in Europe, Nazis. And even now, in some European countries, people act as if this nation is a solution to problems. There are people that are Holocaust deniers still. Well, someone was able to tell people what she had personally experienced during the Second World War.

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, I believe that Chancellor Kohl spoke well when he said this is a project of peace. Our European Union since 1952, since 1957, there has been no conflict between our countries. Now, of course, it's not always easy, but we have not had armed conflict as we had before. Let us not forget that on our own territory, a number of us would not have had the right to live because they were trade unions, because they were two left, because they were homosexual. Because they were disabled. Simply because they were different.

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, Today. We live in a territory. You are elected by citizens who can freely vote. This European Parliament has such an important responsibility. You are there to remind us of those values. I'm certainly not casting aspersions here. We speak out about what happens in other parts of the world. But also within our European family, it is important to recall our values, our rules. Our fundamental guidelines.

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, I could speak of numerous different rights. There was progress in Malta yesterday when it came to women's rights, but today there are journalists, there are judges who cannot freely exercise their professions within the EU. We have stigmatisation of sexual minorities. Which is not acceptable. So I think it's hugely important that the Parliament always recalls us of this and that this conditionality is always part of the decisions that we make.

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, Now we believe that peace is something that we have, that these rights are something that we have. And I have spoken about the Second World War. I have made this comparison, but I'm very proud to see that there are so many young people here today. You are the European project. I would not have had the right to live in that period in the Second World War. I was liberal. I had Jewish origins being married to a man.

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, That's not related. But being homosexual, being liberal, being gay, that would have meant that I would have been condemned three times over. And here I am today, a head of state that is the European project. You might be different, you might have different origins, but this richness is not something which limits us. That is where our richness lies in this diversity. We should not allow this to be destroyed.

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, So we are here celebrating the 70th anniversary of the European Parliament. We need to keep this diversity, which is our strength. We should not be divided whether it's in Council, Commission or Parliament. I would like to thank the President of the European Commission and the members of the European Commission who remind us of the obligations that we have set ourselves.

SOUNDBITE (French), Xavier BETTEL, Luxembourgish Prime Minister, Europe is not just about receiving. It is also giving, building something bigger together. So do not forget that. And a very happy anniversary to Parliament and we will continue to count on Parliament to remind us of these values. Thank you very much.