EUROPE DAY

THE EUROPEAN UNION: an interview

Hi guys,

from May 6th to May12th , with a special focus on May 9^th, is Europe Week. A lot of events are organized all over Europe , concerts, seminars, lectures. Also our small town, Macerata, is taking part in the event. Just have a walk around and you’ll come across bars and restaurants decorated with flags of the EU members and each offering food and drinks typical of a particular country.

You won’t believe it , we succeeded to interview our guest of honour, the European Union.

This is what she told us.

REPORTER : Let’s start from your name. Where does the name “ Europe” come from?

EU: Well, in ancient Greek mythology Europe was a Princess, daughter of the king of Tyre. Zeus fell in love with her, kidnapped her and took her to Crete. From that time on Europe marks the land in the north of the Mediterranean Sea.

REPORTER:  We read that you were born in 1957.  Why such a date 9^th May, 1950?

EU: Well,  the first idea of me  came up on 9^th May, 1950. In Paris that day the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman proposed the creation of a European federation.  He thought France Germany and other countries should be responsible for the management of the coal and steel industry, the sector important for the military power. So there wouldn’t be any more wars between them. They should sit at a table, discuss and make decision together. At the beginning there were just 6 of us, a small club working for peace, now there are…

REPORTER: Yes, we know,  27.

EU: Yes, 27. Look, this is a nice picture of me.  

The family may grow larger. I wouldn’t mind…but of course the new ones can’t join if they don’t respect people’s rights, if they don’t protect minorities, if they don’t have a healthy economy, if they don’t share our aims . So, you see, they must work really hard.

REPORTER: You’re wearing a very nice charm

EU: Oh, yes. This is a jewel I always wear: 12 stars on a blue background. It’s a sort of a little flag, I got it made  in December 1955 when we were a very small family, as I told you.

REPORTER: Why 12 stars? They don’t represent the members of your family, do they?

EU: No, of course not. 12 is the number of the months, of the hours on a clock but it also symbolizes perfection, fullness. Don’t forget that the circle represents unity, my ideal!

REPORTER: You have a motto in your life : “Unity in Diversity”. What does it mean?

EU: I believe in multiculturalism. The  different cultures, languages, traditions are important  for the family. But Europeans must work together for peace, prosperity in spite of all the differences.

I think the poster I was given this year, for the anniversary, represents  this philosophy. It’s really nice.

REPORTER: You said” being together”, it  reminds me of what Euro banknotes have on the front and on the back…

EU: yes,  windows and doorways, they are symbol of cooperation, of our working together. The bridges on the back is a sign of connection to the rest of the world. It was the happiest moment of my life when euro was adopted, on 1^st January 2002. The single currency is one of my achievements.

REPORTER:  OK,  let’s talk about your achievements

EU: Well, I’ll mention just a few: frontier-free travel and trade; I understand that you are attending an agricultural school so you should know I passed regulations about pesticides, about the production of organic food and this means better food and greener environment. And then better living conditions in poor countries, cheaper phone calls, protection of animals on land and oceans, help for the reconstruction of areas hit by natural disasters. Besides I support a lot of activities in education, training, culture. You already know Comenius and Leonardo da Vinci, don’t you? If you go on studying you will be able to join the Erasmus programme for a period of internship abroad.

REPORTER: you have done a lot but  a lot of people are against you.

EU: Yes,  I call them the Eurosceptics. It is so sad and depressing to know that in every member of my family there are eurosceptic movements in some form. And they are also responsible for some of the decisions the members make. Take the Swedish, for example, or the Danish and the British, they rejected the euro.

 Think for a moment : What could replace Europe ? Nothing.  Just a better Europe

REPORTER:  When you feel stressed, how do you relax?

EU: Well I listen to music, watch a good film, work out a bit.

REPORTER: so you do sports…

EU: well when I was younger, I practiced a lot of sports and I even tried bungee jumping, in the 80s. Gosh! How exciting. It was thrilling. Now I’m too old.

REPORTER: What about films? Which one would you choose for a relaxing evening?

EU: “The Spanish Flat” It’s funny. The French university student, Xavier , thanks to one of my programme is able to spend a year abroad, in Barcelona and live an extraordinary experience. It cheers me up.

REPORTER: one last question: music.

EU: Well,  I like all types of music. I used to like the Beatles in the 60s  but now I prefer classical music and I often listen to the Ninth Symphony by Beethoven, especially the prelude to the “Ode to Joy”. I like it so much that I adopted it as my official anthem.