The Dawn of Freedom – 30th Anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic
The Dawn of Freedom – 30th Anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic
The messages of the Pan-European Picnic of 19 August 1989 remain important political guidelines.
Under the patronage of the then President of the Pan-European Union, Dr. Otto von Habsburg, and Hungarian Minister of State Imre Pozsgay, the legendary “Pan-European Picnic” took place on 19 August 1989. Overcoming the Iron Curtain and the division of Europe had been a long-standing demand of the Pan-European Union. 661 citizens of the so-called GDR seized the opportunity and fled from a holiday in Hungary to freedom. In his welcoming address for the Picnic, Otto von Habsburg wrote of the “dawn of freedom” that would become visible on that day, a sentiment echoed by his daughter Walburga Habsburg Douglas, who represented him at the event.
The central messages of this historic event are still valid today, as Rainhard Kloucek, Secretary General of the Pan-European Movement Austria, emphasises. “It is the message of a united Europe against a Europe of nationalism, a Europe of freedom and the rule of law instead of totalitarianism and political arbitrariness.”
The commitment to “Pan-Europe is all of Europe” is clearly linked to the Pan-European Picnic. Karl von Habsburg, President of the Pan-European Movement Austria, states: “Opening up a prospect for accession to the European Union is a logical consequence of the freedom gained in 1989/1990. This applies today, in particular, to the countries of South-Eastern Europe and Ukraine. Kosovars, Bosnians, or Ukrainians have just as much right to Europe as Hungarians, Austrians, or Poles.” Above all, Karl von Habsburg adds, “we must not forget that this picnic took place on a border that for centuries was no border at all, because Central Europe was and is here.”
Philipp Jauernik, Federal Chairman of the Austrian Pan-European Youth, also reaffirms this message: “Especially today, we must be extremely careful that the achievements of freedom of travel and settlement within Europe are not taken away again. Europe must jointly secure its external borders and develop a strong, independent foreign and security policy. The countries that are not yet members of the EU must also be included in this. Especially in South-Eastern Europe, Austria and the EU should be much more present, push harder for reconciliation and dialogue, and ensure that this crucial region is not dominated by China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the USA, but remains European. This, too, must be a central lesson from 1989, because the foreign domination of that time cost the peoples under the Warsaw Pact their freedom and an incredible number of opportunities.”
“We hope that the future federal government will implement the messages of the Picnic in its programme, especially in the area of enlargement policy. The people of South-Eastern Europe deserve to be part of a free, united Europe,” says Stefan Haböck, International Officer of the Pan-European Movement Austria.
Further information on the Pan-European Picnic can be found at the following two links:
https://pan.thatscommunication.de/morgenrot-der-freiheit/
https://pan.thatscommunication.de/das-denkmal-zum-picknick/#more-1897
Enquiries: Pan-European Movement Austria, Rainhard Kloucek 0676 4060955
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