The true "father" of Europe
The President of the International Pan-European Union, Alain Terrenoire, published an article entitled "Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi is the True 'Father' of Europe" in the European Letters of the Coudenhove-Kalergi European Society.
Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi is the true "father" of Europe
As early as the 1920s, before the deadliest war in the history of mankind, this visionary and cultured man understood that only a Europe united in Pan-Europe would allow to guarantee peace, to take its place in world economic exchanges, and to assert itself as an influential power.
In order to achieve this, Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi knew that Germany and France had to come to terms with each other and to act together. This influenced the Briand/Stresemann plan, presented to the League of Nations in 1929. Despite the continent taken by the various xenophobic, racist, authoritarian and autocratic regimes that spread through Europe in the 1930s, the situation did not discourage Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi from pursuing his efforts. However, he could not resume his fight until the end of the Second World War.
It seems natural that the founder of Paneurope built up a friendly relationship with Charles de Gaulle as of 1943 until the President's death in 1970. Through a multitude of letters and meetings, they never stopped elaborating their European project.
For Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi, Europe should constitute a Paneurope - without Great Britain - but relying on the Franco-German agreement, to become a power capable of competing with the United States, the USSR, and China. For Charles de Gaulle, only the prospect of a united Europe would enable their nations to preserve the values of their civilization, their economic weight, and their geopolitical influence. According to Charles de Gaulle, the main pillar of Europe was based on a close relationship with Germany. He also thought that the democratic support of the European people needed to be obtained as a source of legitimacy and sovereignty. For Charles de Gaulle, Europe should be an ally of the United States, independent and not a subordinate of the US.
Finally, this Europe of nations, with a political project and an autonomous defense capacity, could not be governed by a supranational Commission but by the democratically legitimate governments. This is now clearly expressed by the European people, election after election. "
The ”European Letters“ are published by the Coudenhove-Kalergi Society. They appear on an ad hoc basis with contributions written by dedicated Europeans. Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi, with roots in different European countries, developed the idea of a united Europe as a counterbalance to the totalitarian temptations of fascism, National Socialism and communism soon after World War I. He founded the Paneuropa-Union in 1923 and contributed to the founding of the Council of Europe in 1949. The present European Union was a result of the political and economic realisation of the European peace project. The European Society Coudenhove-Kalergi, established as a Foundation in 1978, is dedicated to ensuring the success of this unique project by means of publications, study projects and granting of awards.
Alain Terrenoire, President of the International Pan-European Union