The Congress of $the Hague , entitled at the time “Congress of Europe”, gathered May 7th at May 10th 1948 nearly 750 deputy come from almost all the countries from Europe, and some observers of the the United States and the Canada.

Organizers

The Congress was organized by associations, exits in particular of resistance, like the Union of the European federalists or United Europe Movement of Winston Churchill.

In September 1946, Churchill makes its famous speech of Zurich. At the same time is held in Hertenstein not far from there a meeting of the European federalistic movements. The European Union of the federalists is founded in December 1946 in Paris.

In November 1947, a coordination committee gathers the UEF and United Europe Movement, the Movement for the socialist United States of Europe and the New international teams. It is entitled “International committee of coordination of the movements for the European unit”.

This Committee is at the origin of the “Congress of Europe”. The goal of this demonstration was “to draw to this problem the attention of the international public opinion and to indicate the formation of the United States d' Europe like common objective of work of all the European democratic forces” (according to a memorandum of January 22nd, 1948).

Alexandre Marc, general secretary of the UEF, had proposed to entitle it “General states of Europe” in order to give an even revolutionary popular connotation to the event. This formulation is not retained by the Coordination committee.

Course of the Congress

The context of the Congress is particular: the “Coup of Prague” takes place in February. In March is signed the Traité of Brussels, alliance defensive between France, the United Kingdom and Benelux. The FRG is not yet made up.

The Congress proceeds May 7th at May 10th 1948, that is to say three years exactly after the armistice in Europe. It joined together between 750 and 800 participants according to the sources. Y took part of the politicians, intellectuals and trade unionists. Seventeen countries are represented, in particular France, Great Britain, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy and Germany (at the time still under occupation by the Allies). Also take part of the people from Eastern Europe: Roumanians, Pole, Czechs, Hungarian and Yugoslavians. Forty British Labor deputies give up taking part following a prohibition by the direction of their party.

The Congress proceeds in the “Ridderzaal”, Salle of the Knights of the castle of $the Hague under the presidency of honor of Winston Churchill, in the presence of the sovereign of the Netherlands.

The plenary sessions are chaired by Anthony Eden and Paul van Zeeland.

Three commissions meet:

  • economic and social,
  • political
  • cultural

The Congress is marked by a cleavage between unionistic and federalistic. The first, whose Churchill, wish a simple co-operation between States in order to solve the economic difficulties and to reinforce the Western camp in the incipient Cold war. The federalists want to go more quickly and further and ask for a transfer partial of sovereignty to a European Fédération.

Henri Brugmans will underline later “the atmosphere merry, creative, almost revolutionary of the Congress” (in the review Europe in formation in 1968). The federalists conclude however with a domination from unionistic during the Congress. For Denis de Rougemont: “The Masters of the Congress withdrew the word with the European people to give it to ministers who made the use of it that one knows”. Several confrontation verbal take place between the two camps which are formed.

Paul Reynaud proposes the election of a European constituent Assembly which will not be retained in the conclusions.

Results

The Congress adopts a “Message with Europeans” written and read by Denis de Rougemont. He declares in particular:

“All together, tomorrow, we can build (...) the greatest political training and the vastest economic whole of our time. Never the history of the world will not have known a so powerful gathering of free men. Never the war, the fear and misery will not have been put in failure by a more formidable adversary”.

It calls with:

  • the elimination of the restrictions on the exchange of the goods, the convertibility of the currencies, programming of the resources, the mobility of labor, the coordination of the economic policies and the promotion of the full employment.

  • a European Assembly elected by the vote for all
  • plain Europe opened in Germany
  • adoption of a Charter of the basic rights
  • the creation of a Supreme court
  • the creation of a European center of childhood, youth and culture

Consequences

  • October 25th, 1948: transformation of the Committee of connection into European Movement

  • 25- February 28th, 1949: congress founder of the Movement European in Brussels
  • May 5th, 1949: creation of the the Council of Europe.

Following the Congress are also created the Collège of Europe to Bruges and the European Center of the Culture in Geneva.

Participants

Among the present:

External bonds

  • Message with Europeans

    • Video
  • of opening of the Congress of $the Hague European NAvigator
  • Of the Congress of $the Hague to the Council of Europe: article of the journalist Jean-Pierre Gouzy

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