Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T14:53:25.729Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Extracts from a press conference

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 January 2021

Get access

Summary

Paris, 5 September 1960

Q. Journalist No. 3

Mister President, could you enlighten us about the projects of European cooperation that you have recently presented to the German, Dutch and Italian leaders, and also tell us, if possible, what are your hopes and perspectives on the subject, taking into account what you know of the discussions that took place between Mister Macmillan and Chancellor Adenauer?

A. Charles de Gaulle

With the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and others, in accordance with a perfectly defined policy observed by the government, we have as of late inaugurated a series of consultations with the heads of states and governments of Western European countries, more specifically, the ones in Europe we call “The Six”. However, this has not stopped us from seeing the British Prime Minister, and we do hope will not stop us from seeing him again occasionally, which will undoubtedly be a good opportunity.

Building Europe and uniting it is obviously something essential, but trivial to say. Why should this hearth of civilisation, of force, of reason and of prosperity choke under its own ashes? In such a case, we must only proceed following realities and not dreams. So what are the realities of Europe? What are the pillars on which we can build it? Honestly, they are the States. States that are indeed very different from one another, each with their own soul, history, language, troubles, glories, and ambitions. States are the only entities to have the right to command and the power to be obeyed. Believing that one can build something efficient to act and be approved by the peoples outside and above States is an illusion. Of course, while waiting to address the problem of Europe in its entirety and head on, it is true that we were able to establish certain agencies that are more or less extranational or supranational. These agencies have their technical value, but they do not have any authority, and therefore are not efficient politically. As long as nothing terrible happens, they can function without too much hassle. However, once dramatic circumstances occur such as a major problem to be solved, we see then that such high authority has nothing on the various national categories, and only States have any authority.

Type
Chapter
Information
Re
Thinking Europe Thoughts on Europe: Past, Present and Future
, pp. 185 - 190
Publisher: Amsterdam University Press
Print publication year: 2016

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×