The founding fathers of the European Union are 11 men officially recognised as major contributors to European unity and the development of what is now the European Union.
Sometimes emphasised are three pioneers of unification: Robert Schuman of France, Alcide De Gasperi of Italy and Konrad Adenauer of Germany.
Video Founding fathers of the European Union
Europe's founding fathers
The European Union names 11 people as its founding fathers. These are:
Other sources discuss fewer names.
Maps Founding fathers of the European Union
Proposals and Rome
Count Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi (1894-1972) published the Paneuropa manifesto in 1923 which set up the movement of that name. At the start of the 1950s Robert Schuman (1886-1963), based on a plan by Jean Monnet (1888-1979), called for a European Coal and Steel Community in his "Schuman declaration". Monnet went on to become the first President of the High Authority. Schuman later served as President of the European Parliament and became notable for advancing European integration.
Following its creation, the Treaty of Rome established the European Economic Community. Although not all the people who signed the treaty are known as founding fathers, a number are, such as Paul-Henri Spaak (1899-1972), who also worked on the treaty as well as the Benelux union and was the first President of the European Parliament. Other founding fathers who signed the treaty were Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967) of Germany and Joseph Bech (1887-1975) of Luxembourg.
Others
Further men who have been considered founding fathers are: Giuseppe Mazzini (1805-1872) who founded the association "Young Europe" in 1834 with the vision of a united continent; Victor Hugo (1802-1885) who made a speech where he called for United States of Europe in 1849 at the International Peace Congress of Paris; Winston Churchill (1874-1965) made a speech in Zürich in 1946 where he brought the idea of a Council of Europe (set up a few years later); Jacques Delors (born 1925), who was a successful Commission President in the 1980s and 90s; Lorenzo Natali (1922-1989); Mário Soares (born 1924), Portuguese Prime Minister at the time Portugal acceded the EC; and Pierre Werner (1913-2002) a Prime Minister of Luxembourg.
See also
- History of the European Union
- President of the European Commission
- President of the European Parliament
- List of presidents of the institutions of the European Union
- Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi
References
Source of article : Wikipedia
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