The Pan-European University in Bratislava remebers Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi
Published by the European Society Coudenhove-Kalergi, Secretary General Heinz Wimpissinger
Univ. Prof. Dr. Dr. hc. Peter Fischer, former Vice Rector
Science Commissioner Coudenhove-Kalergi
On initiative of the European Society Coudenhove-Kalergi, rector JUDr. Jan Svak, Dr.Sc, Dr. hc. Karl von Habsburg, and the writer of these words, festively revealed a commemorative plaque dedicated to this great visonary of European unification in the auditorium of this EU-wide-unique Pan-European University on October 23rd, 2014. This festive occasion was preceded by awarding the university’s honorary doctorate to Karl von Habsburg. The university had commissioned and financed the beautifully done plaque, and the accompanying inscription our society had formulated in German and Slovak had been used as is.
In my address, I could refer to the ties between the house of Habsburg and Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi, whom Otto von Habsburg, his successor as president of the Pan-Europa Union, had referred to as a „prophet of Europe“ and compared to the biblical prophet Moses, who had led his people to the borders of the promised land: he himself, however, was only granted looking upon the land. Coudenhove-Kalergi, too, could only sense that his life’s work would bear rich fruit.
Our accompanying text ends on the note that „many of his ideas are now realized in the European Union.“ What these ideas are shall now be examined more closely.
Coudenhove-Kalergi wrote 29 books and more that 50 articles, memoranda, and similar, of which two works show especially well how his ideas have formed today’s European Union: „Pan-Europa“ (1923) and the „Draft of a Pan-European Pact“ (1930).
The work most important to the history of integration is his book „Pan-Europa,“ which he wrote at the age of 29 and which was published in Vienna in 1923. He dedicated it to the youth of Europe with the vision of „awakening a major political movement that is slumbering among all of Europe’s peoples.“ Indeed, he has awakened this movement, which then was structurally taken up by the Pan-Europa Union.
In „Pan Europa“ he realizes that Europe needs to be constructed in several steps that should be realized during Pan-European conferences. These conferences should be concerned with disarmament- and debt-issues as well currency- and customs-questions. Inter-state violence should be made impossible by an arbitration tribunal that would also be responsible for reconciliation in all other matters. The crowning achievement would then be the fourth step, taking the form of a United States of Europe. This-Pan-Europa would have two chambers, a House of Peoples and a House of States. Regarding the issue of language, Coudenhove-Kalergi thought that all national languages should be equal, though English should be used as an international lingua franca for technical reasons.
With this model, the young author already anticipated basic principles that are a a fixed constituent part of today’s EU’s architecture, namely an integration in steps, as has been realized by the Treaty of Rome of 1957, the Maastricht Treaty 1992, Amsterdam 1997, Nice 2001, and the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007. Furthermore he solved the important language question, as English is the most-widely used working language in today’s EU, though all other 24 languages are equal in status as official languages. An important step is the customs-and currency union, on which today’s EU is founded. His model of a currency union was still based on the gold standard; he called his currency „Deci,“ referring to one deci-gram of gold.
After this first structural draft, Coudenhove-Kalergi arrived at the result that, in light of the results of the Pan-Europa congresses, his considerations about a future Pan-Europa needed to be embedded in a deepened legal concept. Even though he was not a trained lawyer, in 1930 he developed—on his own and without help from the Pan-Europa Union—a „Draft proposal for a Pan-European Act,“ that is a European constitution of sorts, and submitted it for the consideration of the German Foreign office.
This concept already included the principle of respect for full sovereignty, thus departing from the original federal principle in favor of full independence of member states. Again, the elimination of wars between European peoples was in the foreground. This union is open to all states whose territory lies fully or mostly within Europe. The seat of this union has to be in the capital of a small state: Brussels, Luxemburg, but also Vienna and Bern were considered by Coudenhove-Kalergi for this purpose.
In the Pan-European Pact, all citizens of member states also possess „European citizen rights,“ which should create a belonging to the European Union of states and a „European community spirit.“ More than 60 years before the Maastricht Treaty, which created the Union citizenship, Coudenhove-Kalergi had thus already envisaged this important aspect.
The bodies of government of the Union in his pact mostly correspond to those of today’s EU: The „first chamber,“ the Union Council, being constituted of one representative of each Union member corresponds to today’s Council of the European Union. The original principle of plurality should be gradually replaced by one of unanimous decision-making. An almost verbatim provision was part of the Roman EEC Treaty of 1957, which was the foundation of the European Economic Community, the core of today’s EU. The „second chamber,“ the Union Council, corresponds to today’s EU-parliament. His „pact“ already provided for a Union court that would decide on the interpretation of the pact. Here, too, Coudenhove-Kalergi presaged the most important process in today’s EU, namely the preliminary ruling by the European Court of Justice in Luxemburg. Not national courts, but a central „European Supreme Court“ should make decisions about EU law in a central manner.
Last but not least, Coudenhove-Kalergi recognized the importance of an anthem and suggested Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, which, alongside and among others, the flag and Europe Day, is now counted among the EU’s symbols.
Richard Nikolaus Coudenhove-Kalergi ist thus true founder of the Pan-Europa idea and intellectual father of European unification, as the commemorative plaque on the Pan-European University of Bratislava states.
Univ. Prof. Dr. Dr. hc. Peter Fischer, former Vice Rector
Science Commissioner Coudenhove-Kalergi
On initiative of the European Society Coudenhove-Kalergi, rector JUDr. Jan Svak, Dr.Sc, Dr. hc. Karl von Habsburg, and the writer of these words, festively revealed a commemorative plaque dedicated to this great visonary of European unification in the auditorium of this EU-wide-unique Pan-European University on October 23rd, 2014. This festive occasion was preceded by awarding the university’s honorary doctorate to Karl von Habsburg. The university had commissioned and financed the beautifully done plaque, and the accompanying inscription our society had formulated in German and Slovak had been used as is.
In my address, I could refer to the ties between the house of Habsburg and Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi, whom Otto von Habsburg, his successor as president of the Pan-Europa Union, had referred to as a „prophet of Europe“ and compared to the biblical prophet Moses, who had led his people to the borders of the promised land: he himself, however, was only granted looking upon the land. Coudenhove-Kalergi, too, could only sense that his life’s work would bear rich fruit.
Our accompanying text ends on the note that „many of his ideas are now realized in the European Union.“ What these ideas are shall now be examined more closely.
Coudenhove-Kalergi wrote 29 books and more that 50 articles, memoranda, and similar, of which two works show especially well how his ideas have formed today’s European Union: „Pan-Europa“ (1923) and the „Draft of a Pan-European Pact“ (1930).
The work most important to the history of integration is his book „Pan-Europa,“ which he wrote at the age of 29 and which was published in Vienna in 1923. He dedicated it to the youth of Europe with the vision of „awakening a major political movement that is slumbering among all of Europe’s peoples.“ Indeed, he has awakened this movement, which then was structurally taken up by the Pan-Europa Union.
In „Pan Europa“ he realizes that Europe needs to be constructed in several steps that should be realized during Pan-European conferences. These conferences should be concerned with disarmament- and debt-issues as well currency- and customs-questions. Inter-state violence should be made impossible by an arbitration tribunal that would also be responsible for reconciliation in all other matters. The crowning achievement would then be the fourth step, taking the form of a United States of Europe. This-Pan-Europa would have two chambers, a House of Peoples and a House of States. Regarding the issue of language, Coudenhove-Kalergi thought that all national languages should be equal, though English should be used as an international lingua franca for technical reasons.
With this model, the young author already anticipated basic principles that are a a fixed constituent part of today’s EU’s architecture, namely an integration in steps, as has been realized by the Treaty of Rome of 1957, the Maastricht Treaty 1992, Amsterdam 1997, Nice 2001, and the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007. Furthermore he solved the important language question, as English is the most-widely used working language in today’s EU, though all other 24 languages are equal in status as official languages. An important step is the customs-and currency union, on which today’s EU is founded. His model of a currency union was still based on the gold standard; he called his currency „Deci,“ referring to one deci-gram of gold.
After this first structural draft, Coudenhove-Kalergi arrived at the result that, in light of the results of the Pan-Europa congresses, his considerations about a future Pan-Europa needed to be embedded in a deepened legal concept. Even though he was not a trained lawyer, in 1930 he developed—on his own and without help from the Pan-Europa Union—a „Draft proposal for a Pan-European Act,“ that is a European constitution of sorts, and submitted it for the consideration of the German Foreign office.
This concept already included the principle of respect for full sovereignty, thus departing from the original federal principle in favor of full independence of member states. Again, the elimination of wars between European peoples was in the foreground. This union is open to all states whose territory lies fully or mostly within Europe. The seat of this union has to be in the capital of a small state: Brussels, Luxemburg, but also Vienna and Bern were considered by Coudenhove-Kalergi for this purpose.
In the Pan-European Pact, all citizens of member states also possess „European citizen rights,“ which should create a belonging to the European Union of states and a „European community spirit.“ More than 60 years before the Maastricht Treaty, which created the Union citizenship, Coudenhove-Kalergi had thus already envisaged this important aspect.
The bodies of government of the Union in his pact mostly correspond to those of today’s EU: The „first chamber,“ the Union Council, being constituted of one representative of each Union member corresponds to today’s Council of the European Union. The original principle of plurality should be gradually replaced by one of unanimous decision-making. An almost verbatim provision was part of the Roman EEC Treaty of 1957, which was the foundation of the European Economic Community, the core of today’s EU. The „second chamber,“ the Union Council, corresponds to today’s EU-parliament. His „pact“ already provided for a Union court that would decide on the interpretation of the pact. Here, too, Coudenhove-Kalergi presaged the most important process in today’s EU, namely the preliminary ruling by the European Court of Justice in Luxemburg. Not national courts, but a central „European Supreme Court“ should make decisions about EU law in a central manner.
Last but not least, Coudenhove-Kalergi recognized the importance of an anthem and suggested Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, which, alongside and among others, the flag and Europe Day, is now counted among the EU’s symbols.
Richard Nikolaus Coudenhove-Kalergi ist thus true founder of the Pan-Europa idea and intellectual father of European unification, as the commemorative plaque on the Pan-European University of Bratislava states.
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