More Europe Manifesto: EU symbols represent values

As I mentioned here and here, a group of Spanish eurobloggers has launched an appeal for More Europe, in order to overcome the impending catastrophe in the eurozone and the wider European Union and to start a virtuous circle of development for the citizens of the union.

You can join the appeal on the More Europe blog and you can participate in the Twitter discussion @moreurope, hashtag #moreurope.

They act as EU citizens, so they want to build on European achievements important for ordinary people. Their appeal is now available in eight languages.

After stating the need for greater European integration, they see the symbols of the European Union as important expressions of our shared values.

“More Europe” Statement

Given the dramatic social situation in many Member States caused by the economical crisis and the anti-European voices predicting the breakup of the Economic and Monetary Union, the undersigned ask for More Europe.

We consider it is necessary to move to a greater European integration in order to address the current situation of social and economic crisis affecting Europe and for this reason we will join our forces as European citizens. To achieve our goal we claim that:

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2) The symbols and the flag of the EU are not just objects. Otherwise they represent our values as a community, which are fundamental to the progress and democracy of the European society.

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In a declaration (52), attached to the Treaty of Lisbon, sixteen of the member states expressed similar sentiments. They are Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Hungary, Malta, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and the Slovak Republic.

They declared that the flag with a circle of twelve golden stars on a blue background, the anthem based on the ‘Ode to Joy’ from the Ninth Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, the motto ‘United in diversity’, the euro as the currency of the European Union and Europe Day on 9 May will for them continue as symbols to express the sense of community of the people in the European Union and their allegiance to it.

The Europa portal offers you information about the symbols of the EU and additional links. Wikipedia broadens the scope to our continent Europe, with symbols from myth, history and art.

This makes me think of the Deutsches Historisches Museum, which published a catalogue with a magnificent collection of art depicting the idea of Europe (Idee Europa) through the ages, for an exhibition in 2003. I wish that every European family could have a DHM book of its own.

The appeal from the eurobloggers on the More Europe blog and on Twitter @moreurope reminds us that our common cultural roots and our shared destiny go much deeper than mere material advantages.



Ralf Grahn