26/05/2008 President
In the address which he delivered on Saturday at The Hague on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Congress of Europe, PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig paid tribute to the decisive conference which was held from 7 to 11 May 1948 and was destined to have considerable influence over the form subsequently taken by the European Union. He also commended the action of the European Movement which was crucial in bringing the Council of Europe into being in 1949, as well as in the process of European integration from which the European Union grew.
Mr de Puig said that, thanks to the ideas of the European Movement and to the political resolve of the founding fathers of European integration, the Council of Europe had established fundamental standards and unique machinery for consultation such as the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly, and above all the European Convention on Human Rights and the Court ensuring its application in all member states. According to the President of PACE, the next challenge lies in European unity and Europe’s “absorption capacity”. “I hope that the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon will enable us to make progress on that issue,” he concluded.
Also taking part in the event were José Barroso, President of the European Commission, Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament, Javier Solana, Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union, and Dimitris Dimitriadis, President of the European Economic and Social Committee.