Today marks the 60th anniversary of the historic Schuman declaration, the proposal by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, which laid the foundations for a united Europe. The European Union honors this day as ‘Europe Day’ to celebrate peace and unity in Europe. The President of the European People’s Party (EPP) Wilfried Martens paid tribute to Robert Schuman and also underlined the need for economic governance:

“Robert Schuman was a great visionary and a great Christian Democrat. After the destruction and hardship of the World War, Schuman and his close associate Jean Monnet understood the importance and necessity of European unity as the only way to ensure lasting peace and prosperity. The Schuman declaration laid the foundations for the united Europe that we have today; and in the last six decades the EPP family and our leaders have been building the European project with great dedication,” Wilfried Martens underlined.

“But many challenges still lie ahead. The current economic crisis in Greece and its impact on the Eurozone remind us that we still have weaknesses to overcome in order to preserve European stability and prosperity. The decision of the Eurozone leaders to establish a stabilization fund is an important step towards European economic governance. If Europe wishes to maintain its leading role in today’s globalized world, we urgently need swift and effective reforms that will lead to real economic governance,” the EPP President added.

Source: www.epp.eu