Press Release

09/11/2009

Fall of the Berlin Wall: symbol of the reunification of Europe. Joseph Daul MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament

"Today, the 9th of November, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, I reflect firstly on the victims of Communist dictatorships, of which this wall was the sad symbol", declared Joseph Daul MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament.

"Like Chancellor Angela Merkel, I believe that the 9th of November is the happiest day in the recent history of Germany. And may I add that it is also the happiest day for Europe as a whole because with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the reunification of the whole continent was realised", continued Joseph Daul.

"The fall of the wall indicates the end of a Communist dictatorship which oppressed millions of men and women in central and eastern Europe for decades. It is also the symbol of newly-found freedom and it is a major political milestone in the history of Europe", said the Chairman of the Centre-Right Parliamentary Group.

Joseph Daul welcomed the historic role played in the liberation by Pope John Paul II, but also by Lech Wałęsa, Mikhail Gorbachev and Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Alongside many others, whose actions have not always been recognised, these figures have proven that we can make things happen if we want them badly enough. With their courage and willingness, they have made the impossible possible. And they have paved the way for 500 million Europeans to live today in a free Europe without frontiers."

The EPP Group will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on the 9th of November in Brussels, and the 12th and 13th of November in Berlin.

(Translation from the original French)

For further information:
Joseph Daul MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group, Tel: +32-2-2847525
Antoine Ripoll, Chairman's Spokesman, Tel: +32-475-856290

Notes to Editors:
The EPP Group is by far the largest political group in the European Parliament with 265 Members.