reminder

REMINDER

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!	ORIGINS European civilization is a synthesis of spirits, movements and attitude to life: the Greek, the Roman and the Christian spirit, the renaissance, humanism and the movement of Enlightenment and of Romanticism. The Greek spirit contributed to the ideas of freedom, truth and beauty, the Roman those of the state and law, and the Christian those of faith and love. Renaissance and humanism returns to Greek antiquity and are characterized by classic-inspired flowering of arts and literature and an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns values as equality, freedom respect for reason, intellect and sense. The Enlightenment fostered the use of human faculty on reason and philosophy. Romanticism satisfied an artistic, literary, and intellectual need. The strengths of mind, movements and attitudes to life defined the grade of our interaction within European societies. Through the broad and profound influence, these spirits, movements and approaches resulted in shared common feelings. Not only in terms of culture, integration, the fulfillment of needs and emotional ties, but also in terms of places such as libraries, cafes and other places that create social capital, which is necessary to develop identity and promote cohesion. The last 60 years, a movement – a developed common identity - in which the majority of society could feel at home did not appear. The continent has intensified a society for peace and of material wealth.

ORIGINS

European civilization is a synthesis of spirits, movements and attitude to life: the Greek, the Roman and the Christian spirit, the renaissance, humanism and the movement of Enlightenment and of Romanticism. The Greek spirit contributed to the ideas of freedom, truth and beauty, the Roman those of the state and law, and the Christian those of faith and love. Renaissance and humanism returns to Greek antiquity and are characterized by classic-inspired flowering of arts and literature and an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns values as equality, freedom respect for reason, intellect and sense. The Enlightenment fostered the use of human faculty on reason and philosophy. Romanticism satisfied an artistic, literary, and intellectual need.

The strengths of mind, movements and attitudes to life defined the grade of our interaction within European societies. Through the broad and profound influence, these spirits, movements and approaches resulted in shared common feelings. Not only in terms of culture, integration, the fulfillment of needs and emotional ties, but also in terms of places such as libraries, cafes and other places that create social capital, which is necessary to develop identity and promote cohesion.

The last 60 years, a movement – a developed common identity - in which the majority of society could feel at home did not appear. The continent has intensified a society for peace and of material wealth.

THE WANDERING

Next to the spirits which Europe’s civilization is based on and the material wealth, the continent faced also numerous wars, many revolutions and set-backs.
At present, acquired achievements gradually are evaporating or are already lost and are making Europe falters. Within only a few years we succeeded to create multiple serious crises: in assets (debts), confidence, politics, and in the economy.

THE SEARCH

It took time to recognize what crises arised, to understand the complexity of these crises and to maximize solutions. In the meantime, global movements such as ‘Occupy’, ‘Indignados’ and The Zeitgeist, make protests against the power of the banks, the bad sides of capitalism and outdated social structures, supported ‘Pirate Party’ civil rights, direct democracy, free knowledge, data privacy, transparency, freedom of information, free education, overall healthcare, and a clear separation between church and state and made HoSG’s series of statements and agreements to strengthen economic governance and governance of the eurozone.

Our balance is now that we landed in an era of quite much disorientation, huge debts, big easing and with need of an exit strategy.

To find the path of the origins again, debts should be muted and phased out, European governments have to succeed coming period in refinancing total € 1,800 billion (approximately 20 percent of GDP in the eurozone), is favourable outcome needed of direction of French politics and coming parliamentary elections in Greece, Germany and in behalf of the European Parliament, must EFSF/ESM be supplied with sufficient resources, must the ‘Fiscal Treaty’ be ratified by a quorum and should implementation of a balanced budget rule, laid down in binding law, be ensured.

Civil society, private and public sector should befriend each other and cooperate and strengthen each others inner operation and (social) patterns. A challenge is to strike a delicate balance between providing liquidity for solvent institutions while keeping the overall pressure on for a rapid correction of the imbalances.

It will however, last a long time to repair the damage and to get the future on an agreeable track.

TO RENEWED ORIGINS

A democratic Europe for citizens, educated and with believe in progress thinking. A Europe with economic growth with support of Europe 2020-strategy and through a next (r)evolution by means of a digital agenda, new energy sources and innovation policy such as low carbon vehicles. A Europe with solid infrastructures. A Europe with strength of mind and a broad-based movement based on immaterial trends to let our interaction rise again. A Europe with modern social structures, systems and rules, where young people can have their say too. A Europe of solidarity and tolerance, with an agreeable political ideology, and good governed forms of public administrations. A Europe as a hub.A Europe where everyone participates to enhance viability.

Next to it, concern is required for environment which comprises interaction between surroundings of objects and all living creatures occurring naturally on earth, namely climate, nature and water. After all, the environment is highly influenced by use of fossile fuels such as coal, natural gas or oil for electricity, heating or transportation, what use produces pollution in the atmosphere, our ecological footprint.

“Europe as a street, with currently 28 houses, acting on itself, but also doing things together. With relations between neighbors and friends. Attention and understanding for each other. For everybody in the street. And the windows kept open. No dead end street. No alley on the edge of the Eurasian continent. A bustling street: our Europe”.

Adaptation is thus required. Corporations for the people and the other way round, and public administrations serving the people. I emphasize the hope that all governments, legislatures and communities can abandon the road of too narrowing administration in order to create a life of reasonable level of existence, economically as well as in the field of humanities. Or, as Herman van Rompuy emphasized: “We should dare to look higher and wider (...). We have to convince people that the European interest is a matter of our interest. On long term, it is the biggest challenge for our Community' ....”.