Happy 50th Birthday EU!
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 03.25.07
Today Berlin is the focal point of the festivities celebrating 50 years since the treaty of Rome established what has now grown to a 27-member Union of European States. If you want to see what can be expected at a party reported to cost €1.7 million, read on below. And while the EU boasts successes and progress in many areas, perhaps the most impressive is 50 years of leadership in protecting the environment. TVlink gives a brief overview and points out the most important achievement of European policy:
"It is now widely accepted in the 27-member club that there is no contradiction between economic growth and environmental protection and that strict laws aimed at protecting the environment will lead to more, not less jobs in the long term."
The party for the EU offers something for everyone: Gala concerts, museums open all night long, and the "Europe turns 50" informational tour. A subsidized 12€ ticket opens Berlin's renowned night club scene to the hard-core parrtygoers, who can hop through over 30 locations featuring DJs out of all the EU Member States. Angela Merkel, currently leading the 6-month rotating presidency of the EU will give the "Berlin Declaration", which is promised to be a short address, meaningful to all citizens of the EU. (Can one hope that politicians may be making progress towards the capability to write a concise and relevant Constitution?)
Happy Birthday Europe! And many more.
Via ::Bundesregierung Deutschland (German)
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...I wonder if in that "50 years of leadership in protecting the environment" they ever thought about NOT releasing balloons into the environment? Hmmm....
True in general. But I hasten to point out that the EU never got around to banning PCB's and leaded gasoline until about 1999 - roughly 25 years after the deal was done in North American. Still, there is no more impassioned advocate than the recently converted!
Why is this on TreeHugger? It's a post ripe for criticism especially from the right! I thought you guys stayed out of politics...