Thread by @verumandverus

THREAD - #EuropeDay

To celebrate what should be more appropriately called #EUDay I want to pass on the best wishes of some of Europe’s most prominent politicians over the years
I especially dedicate this to all my 🔶🕷🇪🇺🥀🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇮🇪 & #FBPE friends. 👇 /1

A day will come when we shall see the United States of America and the United States of Europe face to face, reaching out for each other across the seas - Victor Hugo 1849 /2

We must create an EEA through common customs treaties. All members will be formally equal but in practice under German leadership and must stabilise Germany’s dominance over central Europe - Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg 9/9/1914 /3

Through the consolidation of basic production & the institution of a new High Authority, whose decisions will bind France, Germany & the other countries that join, this proposal represents the first concrete step towards a European federation - Schuman Declaration May 1950 /4

In this challenging time we are naturally encountering difficulties. They are the birth pangs attending the creation of a United States of Europe - Jean Monnet 30/4/1952 /5

And we hope within a few years Europe will be one country - Delegate at the Euro Coal & Steel Community conference 1960
/6

In adopting the Single Act, the Member States confirmed the objective of progressive realisation of economic & monetary union - European Council June 1988 /7

Ten years hence, 80% of our economic legislation, and perhaps even our fiscal and social legislation as well, will be of Community origin - Jacques Delors 1988 /8

My objective is that before the end of the millennium, Europe should have a true federation - Jacques Delors 23/1/1990 /9

Federalism is a guideline, not a pornographic word, you can speak it out loud. We have been focusing too much on a country that has said No, No, No! - Jacques Delors 8/12/1991 /10

The future will belong to the Germans. when we build the House of Europe. In the next 2 years we will make the process of European integration irreversible - Helmut Kohl 2002 /11

The EU should be named the United States of Europe - Valery Giscard D'Estaing 3/10/2002 /12

We have sown a seed. Instead of a half-formed Europe, we have a Europe with a legal entity, with a single currency, common justice, a Europe which is about to have its own defence - Valery Giscard D'Estaing 13/6/2003 /13

The Constitution is the capstone of a European federal state - Guy Verhofstadt 21/6/2004 /14

A federal EU is the only option. I'm confident Europeans would by an overwhelming majority approve of a federal Europe in a Europe-wide referendum - Guy Verhofstadt 2005 /15

When asked his opinion on referendums on the EU Constitution in France and Netherlands "If it’s a yes we say on we go, if it’s a no we continue" – Jean-Claude Juncker 2005 /16

(After France said No) - Countries that reject the treaty will be asked to vote again. Let's be clear about this. The rejection of The Constitution was a mistake that will have to be corrected - Valery Giscard D'Estaing 2005 /17

Public opinion will be led - without knowing it - to adopt the policies we would never dare present to them directly. All the earlier proposals will be in the new text (Lisbon), but will be hidden or disguised in some way - Valery Giscard D'Estaing 2007 /18

A great part of the content of the European Constitution is captured in the new treaties - Jose Zapatero 2007 /19

The substance of the constitution is preserved (in Lisbon). That is a fact - Angela Merkel 2007 /20

EU leaders had decided to make the new treaty unreadable so key reforms would be difficult to recognise at first sight. This would diffuse possible calls for referenda in member states - Guiliani Amato 10 Jul 2007 /21

The institutional proposals of the Constitution are found complete in Lisbon, only in a different order. To my surprise & my great satisfaction, the 9 main points are repeated word for word in the new project. There is not a single comma changed - Giscard D'Estaing Oct 2007 /22

Those who are anti-EU are terrorists. It is psychological terrorism to suggest the spectre of a European superstate - Giorgio Napolitano 2007 /23

What was done in Lisbon, & deliberately, was to mix everything up. If u look for passages on institutions, they're in diff places, on diff pages, Someone wanting to understand how it worked could with the Constitution, but not with this one - Giscard D'Estaing 26/06/2008 /24

Future referendums will be ignored whether they are held in Ireland or elsewhere. We are evolving towards QMV because if we stay with unanimity we will do nothing - Valery Giscard D'Estaing 26/06/2008 /25

We have the dimension of empires, but there is a great difference. The empires were usually made through force, with a centre that was imposing a diktat, a will on the others, and now we have what some authors call the first non-imperial empire - Jose Manuel Barroso 2008 /26

Softly, softly a federal Europe draws nearer - Anatole Kaletsky 3/11/2010 /27

A United States of Europe is the only way to preserve EU influence - Joschka Fischer 13/1/2011 /28

The Eurozone will integrate further with market demands now trumping past ideological debates - Jose Manuel Barroso 7/9/2011 /29

No-one can leave the Euro - European Commission 8/9/2011 /30

We would've preferred a deal at the level of the 27. That wasn't possible taking into account the position of our British friends. Cameron asked for a protocol granting the UK exonerations on financial services regulations. We could not accept this - Nicolas Sarkozy 9/12/11 /31

There are clearly now two Europes – Nicolas Sarkozy 9/12/11 /32

It's time to marginalise Britain, so that the country comes to feel its loss of influence - Elmar Brok 12/12/2011 /33

Of course the European Commission will one day become a government, the EU council a second chamber and the European Parliament will have more powers - Angela Merkel Nov 2012 /34

Britons are too ignorant about Europe to vote in a referendum on the subject. 70% of the UK’s laws are made in Brussels - Viviane Reding Feb 2014 /35

For my children’s future I dream, think and work for the United States of Europe - Matteo Renzi May 2014 /36

We have the basic principle of free movement and we won't meddle with that - Angela Merkel 25/10/2014 /37

Should Cameron persist (in this quota plan), Chancellor Merkel would abandon her efforts to keep Britain in the EU. With that a point of no return would be reached. That would be it then - Der Spiegel 3/11/2014 /38

As we foresaw 30 years ago, sovereignty was severely mutilated. Core issues of the country's life are decided, or strongly conditioned, by the organs and bodies of the EU and in particular by the Directory of powers led by Germany - Angelo Alves (Portugal) 17/6/2015 - /39

Do you really want to participate in a common state? That's the question - Francois Hollande 7/10/2015 /40

At 20 minutes to 5 we can now say the decision taken in 1975 has been reversed by this referendum to leave the EU. The British people have spoken and the answer is We’re Out! - David Dimbleby (BBC) - 24/6/2016 /41

Let June 23rd go down in our history as our Independence Day - Nigel Farage 24/6/2016 /42

We now expect the UK Govt to give effect to this decision of the British people as soon as possible, however painful that process may be. Any delay would unnecessarily prolong uncertainty - Joint Statement Juncker/Tusk/Schulz/Rutte 24/6/16 /43

We take note of the British people's decision with regret. There is no doubt this is a blow to Europe and to the European unification process - Angela Merkel 24/6/2016 /44

This is a painful choice and it is deeply regrettable both for the UK and Europe. But this choice is theirs and we must respect it, accepting all the consequences. The British vote is a tough test for Europe - Francois Hollande 24/6/2016 /45

Exit negotiations should be concluded within 2 years at max. There cannot be any special treatment. Leave means Leave - Manfred Weber 24/6/2016 /46

The UK will be made an example of. EU leaders will be seeking punishment. They'll see from the UK's example leaving the EU is a bad idea, on the contrary, the remaining MS will fall in love with each other again & renew their vows with the EU - Jean-Claude Juncker 21/03/17 /47

The UK won't leave the EU and will one day join the Euro. Parliament may not have the stomach to vote to withdraw - Lord Heseltine 22/9/2017 /48

We must take assertive and spectacular steps that would revive the aspiration to raise European Integration to the next level – Donald Tusk 2017 /49

I want there to be a constitutional treaty to create a federal Europe. I would like to see a United States of Europe by 2025 - Martin Schulz Dec 2017 /50

The President of the Commission said at a press conference the other day he wanted the European Parliament to be the democratic body of the Community, the Commission to be the Executive and the Council of Ministers to be the Senate. No. No. No. - Margaret Thatcher 30/10/1990 /51

Our sovereignty does not come from Brussels, it is ours by right and by heritage - Margaret Thatcher 26/6/1991 /52

that such an unnecessary and irrational project as building a European superstate was ever embarked upon will seem in future years to be perhaps the greatest folly of the modern era - Margaret Thatcher 1992 /53

In my lifetime all our problems have come from mainland Europe and all the solutions have come from the English-speaking nations across the world - Margaret Thatcher 1999 /54

Europe is a monument to the vanity of intellectuals, a programme whose inevitable destiny is failure. Only the scale of the final damage is in doubt - Margaret Thatcher 2002 /55

THE END

HAPPY ##EUday & an even happier #EuropeDay 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

@spectator /56