“The city of Messina, through the mayor who greet and thank for the hospitality, welcomes today, in this splendid and renewed room, not only of the exponents of the countries whose foreign ministers met here seventy years ago, but also those who guide the new union, creating a sort of bridge between the Europe that stood and what is called to build, without induced, a new fundamental turning point”. The president of the Sicilian Region said so, Renato Schifaniduring the commemorative ceremony of the figure of Gaetano Martino at Palazzo Zanca, home of the Municipality, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Messina Conference. The ceremony also participates the vice president of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, and the mayor of Messina Federico Basile. “Reading the documents of the preparatory meetings of the Conference that brought together the six foreign ministers of the Member countries of the European Coal and Steel Community between Messina and Taormina (meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of 26 May 1955), it is clear that the result of what could have been the breaking point of the European construction was unexpected, only hypothesized, but pervicatively wanted by Gaetano Martino, aiming for the approval of the proposals. Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg, but above all of Jean Monnet, “added Schifani.
“The six foreign ministers thus decided to avoid the convocation of an intergovernmental conference, but to attribute to a committee of experts, appointed by the European governments and institutions, led by the Belgian Minister Spaak, the task of elaborating the new treaties, namely” the creation of a common organization for the peaceful development of the atomic energy and the institution of a common market to be carried out for the progressive reduction of the limitations of limitations quantitative and unification of customs regimes ” – continued Schifani -. Land delegations that took part in the Committee expressed an optimistic approach and animated by the belief of being able to give new life to the controversial European construction, and to count the different needs of European countries, without taking too drastic decisions, trying, at the same time, to pursue the objectives identified in Messina. Without the political and institutional turning point impressed by the Messina Conference, in a few months, to the signing of the Treaties of Rome and the birth of the European Economic Community would never have come. In an interview with the Gazzetta del Popolo, a few days after the conclusion of the conference (June 26, 1955), Martino observed: “Among the initiatives intended to constitute the European common market, the free movement of the work hand and the establishment of a European investment fund were also planned in Messina”.
“Martino was well aware of the difficulties and some hesitation to the strengthening of cohesion between the member countries, but he was clear that the” relaunch of the European project “would have constituted the challenge on which to focus on the objective of a significant step forward, after the failures recorded the year before, in the construction process of the common European company with the implosion of the projects of the European Defense Community and the European political community – said the governor -. Messina’s choice was not accidental. The Italian government intended to attract the attention of the other Member States on a geographically and economically marginal zone, as part of the debate on the path for a more intense integration. It was the city of Martino, first -level political and academic exponent, electoral commitments prevented him from leaving for a long time from the island, but what prevailed was the clear perception that the beauty of the places, the friendly welcome, the Mediterranean dimension as a crucial European vocation, would have constituted an added value to achieve a goal deemed, as mentioned, very difficult “.
“For an economy like the Italian one, in which there are areas of accentuated depression and a general excess of work energies, these initiatives are particularly encouraging. Now it is only a matter of not hiding the difficulties, and together not to overcome them to the point of losing trust in ourselves and in our ideals. We must go on in the path of unification of Europe, with patience, with courage and with faith” – the president underlined -. The Messina and Taormina conference was thus the beginning of the path to united Europe, in fact gave new impulse to the integration process, since it laid the foundations for the creation of the Emporetom and the European Economic Community. The roots of Europe sink into the history and culture of Sicily, the land of meetings and clashes between peoples of Europe, but also frontier of the continent, a hinge between the north and south of the Mediterranean, island capable of welcoming different civilizations, cultures and religions, but also able to blend in new styles and models and first unimaginable and to live in peace. The bow of Europe projected towards Africa, the continent whose development had sensed Robert Schuman, in his founding speech of 1950, would have been one of the essential objectives. The path to the construction of the European common house has not ended, indeed it is found today to face new challenges such as common defense and a strengthened economic and social cooperation. This journey, which here in Messina 70 years ago made a significant leap in quality, has passed and will go from successes and failures, conscious which, as J. Monnet “recalled” Europe will be done in the crises and which will be the sum of the solutions that will give themselves to these crises “”.
“They await us New challenges that have seen the main answers in the Nextgenerationau programs, Repowereu and Rearm Europe Plan-Redinress 2030but who will pass from a strengthening of European democratic institutions, cohesion and investments for competitiveness and solidarity. Through the memory of these days we give new lymph to tomorrow’s Europe, and Sicily will be able to offer its contribution in the indelible sign impressed by the experience of the conference – concluded Schifani -. Octavio PazMexican poet dear to Pope Francis, he underlined that “memory is not what we remember, but what makes us remember. Memory is a present that never ends up going through”. This past, this present, this future has been, is and will be Europe, which we will build, starting from Messina, more innovative, stronger, more cohesive “.