The Message of Robert Schuman

Here is what Robert Schuman, President of the European Parliament from 1958 to 1960, wrote in the summer of 1963, shortly before his death on 4 September, in the foreword to his book "For Europe":

"The harsh lessons of history have taught the man at the border that I am wary of hasty improvisations, too ambitious projects, but they have also taught me that when an objective, well-considered judgment based on on the reality of facts and the best interest of men, leads us to new initiatives, even revolutionary, it is important - even if they clash with established customs, old-fashioned antagonisms and old routines - to hold us firmly and persevere ".

"For Europe", Robert Schuman's only published work, allows us to find the European thought and vision that guided his work.

"The reader will quickly convince himself that the analyzes and insights of this great statesman, although written in the context of the 1950s and 1960s, remain highly relevant. Contrary to what some people think, the ideas advanced and implemented by the Fathers of Europe are not overwhelmed by the changes, sometimes radical, that we know at the beginning of this century."

Jacques Delors

Former President of the European Commission

Jacques Delors addresses a message to the youth of Europe in Scy-Chazelles the 9 May 2010 in the company of Jean-Luc Bohl, President of the CERS

"For Europe is much more than a testament. The thought of Robert Schuman still illuminates the path of Europe that remains to be built. It sets the course: a more people-oriented Union, a Union based on the diversity of its cultures and strong influence of its values in the world."

 
Michel Barnier

Former European Commissioner

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs