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The Paneuropean Movement is a supranational organisation whose goal is the unity of Europe. Although the Paneuropean Movement is independent of all political parties, it holds clear and well-defined principles by which it appraises politicians, parties and institutions.
The Paneuropean Movement has branches in most European countries and plays an active role for Europe´s unity.
In 1923 Count Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi wrote his prophetic document "Paneuropa", in which he presented an alternative to the pessimistic view of civilisation: a united Europe.The best men of his time followed him. Aristide Briand was among his closest collaborators. But National Socialist barbarism smashed these hopeful beginnings. Coudenhove fled from Hitler´s dictatorship. Later, Otto von Habsburg joined the movement and was soon to become one of the leading representatives of the Paneuropean idea.
Coudenhove warned the Western governments of Soviet plans for conquest in vain; during the Yalta conference in 1945, Central and Eastern Europe was delivered to Communist dictatorship.Nevertheless, after World War Two, the ideas of the Paneuropean Movement were successful in the Western world: the Council of Europe, the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community represented great steps forward to unification.
After Coudenhove´s
death in 1973 these achievements seemed endangered. Europe was split,
unification stagnated and Communism gained ground while the West dreamt of détente.
It was then that the newly elected president, Otto von Habsburg, decided to turn
the Paneuropean Union into a broad, popular movement.
Intensive basic activities were started within all European countries. More and more people found their way to the Paneuropean Movement to fight for a free and united Paneurope. From the time of the first direct election to the European Parliament in 1979, the Paneuropean Movement has been an effective link between Europeans and their Parliament in Strasbourg. Paneuropean programmes became pioneers of actual European policy. Awareness that Europe did not end at the Yalta-Line became general.:
The Paneuropean picnic at the Austrian-Hungarian border on August 19, 1989, tore the first hole in the Iron Curtain, and heralded the end of Europe´s partition. Today the idea of o free, complete and united Europe is approaching realisation. If we bend all our energies to achieving this, it is possible that the new century will bring a prolonged era of peace, liberty, security and prosperity such as Europe has never known.
The Paneuropean Movement has four main principles: libertarian, Christian, social, and European.
Libertarian
The heart of every policy is the individual. Therefore its aim must be to encourage and help people to greater freedom and responsibility. With this go the attainment of human and civil rights and the right of all peoples to self-determination. That presupposes both a free market economy and a state of law and order constitutionally guaranteed. Only a strong and united Europe can maintain lasting liberty and meet the challenge of the third millennium. Paneurope has always resolutely opposed every form of collectivism, totalitarism or bureaucratic intervention which threatens personal initiative and human creativity.
Christian
Christianity is the soul of Europe, the foundation of its cultural, social and spiritual development. We therefore stand for the Christian view of humanity: that man´s dignity is derived from God and he thus has rights which none can either give him or take from him. Neither socialism nor nationalism nor a shallow, atheistic humanism must be Europe´s last message to the world. Only by remembering its Christian roots Europe can regain faith in itself and win its due position as an exemplary peaceful and moral power in the world. Paneurope rejects all nihilistic and antireligious tendencies that may threaten Europe.
Social
It is a fundamental duty of all responsible politicians to preserve justice
and the dignity of man. In accordance with Christian social doctrine, a united
Europe must resist discrimination and ensure the protection of all minorities.
This applies to the old, the young and the sick as well as to ethnic, religious
and social minorities. A social economy must ensure humane living conditions for
all.
For Paneurope the protection of the environment is the protection of
people. We must honour the past and care for the future. We can not go forward
responsibly without valuing fully our history, traditions, religion, language
and education.
European
The European Community has not only ended war between its peoples. It has
also created a unique order of peace and justice. Yet this is only the starting
point for the greater Europe of tomorrow, to which the newly-liberated peoples
of Central and East ern Europe will also belong.
We want a Europe of nations
and ethnic groups, of states and regions, in which the right to "homelands"
is guaranteed to all Europeans. In that sense the Paneuropean Movement stands
for European patriotism - for the new state concept of the 21st century - for
Europe as a great cultural unit. Greek wisdom, Roman legal thought and Christian
faith are its common heritage.
A political union of its people in a
continental state is the Paneuropean Union´s plan for the future. Within
this union, Paneurope believes in the maintenance of regional independence and
the preservation of a diversified cultural heritage.
The subsequent aims have been set up in 1990, immediately after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The establishment of new goals which take into account the changes in the European integration process are currently being developed. Nevertheless, the Paneuropean Movement is proud that many of its demands listed below have become reality since then:
| International Paneuropean Union | |
| General Secretariat | |
| Karlstraße 57 | Phone: +49 89 554683 |
| D-80333 München | Fax: +49 89 594768 |
| email: info@paneuropa.org | Telex: 5216640 pan d |
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