Chirac to EuroFora : EU must get back to work !

*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- EU should get back to work also on Humanitarian issues, stressed at the start of EU's "Year against Poverty and Social Exclusion", Bernadette Chirac, President of "Hospitals of France" Foundation , and wife of the long-time former President of the country Jacques Chirac, speaking to "EuroFora" in Strasbourg, where she visited a modern Exhibition on concrete Projects helping People in need to get adequate Medical care , together with the City's Mayor, Senator Roland Ries, and MP Andre Schneider, Head of French Assembly's Commission on International/European issues, and CoE's Assembly's Member for Science, Culture and Education.                                                                                                                                                     

- "It's mainly because some important Professors in Medicine asked me to do so", that Bernadette Chirac (a 3 times "1st Lady of France" for 12 Years, who had experienced a tragedy in her own Family life) chose to give her time, energy and reputation to help People in Hospitals, as she told "EuroFora".

French President Nicolas Sarkozy honoured last year (2009) Bernadette Chirac's Humanitarian work in a special ceremony at the "House of the Sun", an aide and rehabilitation refuge for Teenagers in trouble, during which she was awarded one of the most important honorific  titles, that of "Chevallier d'honeur".  Since then, added also to other developments, the popularity of Jacques Chirac, long-standing former President of France (3 times)  has rosen to a record high, according to Media reports.

 The Humaniarian, issues at stake in terms of Human values and Health Science's progress are so important that they made a rare Unanimity between various Political personalities in the Majority and the Opposition, since Bernadette Chirac (notoriously a ChristianDemocrat of center-right) was first welcomed, near Brussels, by the Mayor of Lille and new Secretary General of the French ..Socialist Party, Martine Aubry (daughter of long-time EU Commission's former President Jacques Delors), immediaely followed by Strasbourg's new Mayor, Senator Ries (Socialist), long before she will meet fex. with the Mayor of Marseille Jean-Paul Gaudin,  vice-President of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP, Center-Right)..

She agreed with "EuroFora" that the fact that her venue to Strasbourg as head of a Humanitarian movement the 1st Month of  2010, came at the start of EU's "Year against Poverty and Social Exclusion", was "a good coincidence", and such kind of Humanitarian initiatives should "inspire" People throughout all Europe.

ECB and other Economic analysts' forecasts have warned the EU that even during the progressive return of Growth, in the current stage of the way out of the Global Crisis, high unemployment rates may persists for a while, in Europe as also in the USA and elsewhere in the World, and EU Commission''s President Jose Barroso has recently agreed with MEPs in EU Parliament in Strasbourg that, at least for the time being, a special care is needed throughout all the EU to prevent hard phenomena of Social Exclusion by provoked poverty.

Struggle against pain (physical and moral), ameliorate living Conditions, develop Activities (fex. Culture or Internet in Hospitals), take charge of suffering Teenagers, help Families to stay united, etc. are some the main aims of the Foundation "Hospitals of France".

Among various concrete Projects big, medium or "small", already funded, (pictured in High-Tech, huge Video-Screens, or partly reproduced inside the 2010 Exhibition's Train), are fex. areas specially conceived for small Children, meeting places for Teenages, or even well adapted living spaces created for Families in order to avoid dramatic separation, etc. all related to a better, more Human life of patients in need in Hospitals, (allowing fex. to keep in touch through Telecoms with relations and/or urgent work, at least in part, while being hospitalized, if needed and medically allowed, etc), which might also contribute to ameliorate the efficiency of Medical services.   

 Initially focusing on Young People and later also on Seniors, Bernadette Chirac's Foundation was sollicitated by Strasbourg's Mayor, Senator Ries, to think about the possibilities to help also "Adults in need", in addition to a new "House" for Teenagers agreed to be built in Strasbourg.

Learn how to become Popular "Benefactor" ?

  An original but important way to support such Humanitarian activities is the current "Yellow Coins' operation", which gives a chance to all Citizens, rich or poor, adult or even children, to became a "benefactor" by taking a part in contributing to fund the Foundation's projects, even if it's by simply giving just a few Euros, or only 10, 20 or 50 Cents (which have a "Yellow" color in EuroZone), or even only a few cents (1 or 5), which have a "red" color, as shows a special Box set up for the Public  by the "Bank of France" (which collects the coins and gives the final checque to the Foundation) : "The oldest pîece in the whole operation's History", as observed Bernadette Chirac, smiling.  

 After 21 such popular operations in more than 20 Years of existence (1989-2010), the Foundation was able to fund more than 9.600 concrete Projects, totalling more than 133 Millions €. In Strasbourg's central Hospital (one of the biggest and more historic in Europe, whose new super-Modern premisses were inaugurated last year by French President Sarkozy - 2009), the operation "Yellow coins" has  got some 1 million € in grants to Pediatric Health care for Children.

    Symbolically, starting from Paris, the "Yellow Coins 2010" Exhibition Train (with a Radio Studio inside !) started after Jan. 22 by approching the European Headquarters, first close to Brussels (at nearby Lille), advancing afterwards to Strasbourg, before it travels around all the rest of France : From Lyon to Marseille, Toulouse, Perigeux, Poitiers, Quimper, Tours, staying one Day in each City before it returns back to Paris, between the 24 and 31 January.