11/05/2005 11:00:43 am
An EU Scandal. Quite a few people have pointed out to me - and my colleague and friend Johan Norberg blogs about it - that there are three sentences in Margot Wallströms speech in Terezin which can correctly be interpreted as the Daily Telegraph did:

"Yet there are those today who want to scrap the supranational idea. They want the European Union to go back to the old purely inter-governmental way of doing things. I say those people should come to Terezin and see where that old road leads."

She doesn?t talk about Eurosceptics risking another Holocaust, but clearly she implies that. I wrote that if she had said that, it would be a great scandal - and it is. She is wrong and what she says is distasteful. Of course there are nazis who are anti-EU, but criticism against the EU - which I believe to be very important - can never generally be described that way. She should make a new statement and correct herself!

I have also received by e-mail the statement from the entire Commission, which was referred to in the same article - and was not to be found in the Commission Press Room - and, if true, would have been even worse. In the article, the statement is described as saying that people should vote yes to the proposed Constitution to honour the victims of WWII. That is, however - and fortunately - not a reasonable interpretation. It starts off about the fight against totalitarianism and for democracy and further mentions the Constitution:

"From the internal market to our external borders, from promoting cohesion at home to solidarity and justice around the globe, we, following the method of Jean Monet, have set about building Europe through concrete, practical steps that improve the daily lives of Europe?s citizens around the world. Approval of the Constitution will consolidate these achievements and lay the basis for even greater progress in the future.

European integration has changed the face of Europe. It has been driven by the common wish of European people: freedom and lasting peace instead of war, replacing conflict, mistrust and hate with understanding and respect; and all of this backed up by institutions to support both our shared destiny and our rich diversity. It is our lasting tribute to all those who fought against evil in the Second World War and all those who have turned their back on totalitarianism, narrow nationalism, racism and prejudice. It is our key to a brighter, stronger future for ourselves and our children."

It is not a fair interpretation that was made in the article of this statement. But Wallströms speech was bad enough.