New EU President Tusk launches Martens Fund to help Young People study supported by EPP Head Daul

*Brussels/EPP Summit/Angelo Marcopolo/- Speaking to Journalists, including "EuroFora", just before Starting to chair the 1st EU Heads of State/Government in Brussels ever organized by a Polish Euro-Politician, the New President of EU Council, former Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, launched the project to create Wilfried Martens' Fund, in the Memory of the long-time Chairman and co-Founder of the ChristianDemocrat/EPP Party, also former Prime Minister of Belgium, strongly supported by the new EPP Party's President Joseph Daul, to whom Martens had personaly "entrusted the Baby" while he was still alive but fell ill, after cooperating closely together for quite a long time, during Daul's Chairmanship of EU Parliament's EPP Group of MEPs, as he reminded with emotion.

 - He was a man of courage and conviction, who played a crucial role mainly for the People of Central-Eastern Europe, President Tusk said for Martens, and stressed that, later Today, when he will Start Chairing the 1st EU Heads of State/Government in his life, he will see, not only the present EU Leaders, but also those who have played, in the recent Past, an Historic role for the ReUnification of Europe.

+ Moreover, when you come from there where I and others comme, you know how important it is for you to have Someone waiting and Ready to Help, at a crucial moment, Tusk added with emotion.

- Martens' Wife, Mrs Miet Smet-Martens, stressed from the outset that the main Aim of that New Fund is to Help Young People from Countries which are Not EU Members, to Study at the well known University of Leuven, on Europe-related issues  :

- Because, after all, "Europe is also made out of People !", underlined Mrs Martens in this regard.

- Daul explained, afterwards, that Wilfired Martens has played a very Important role in the History of Europe in the making, particularly on 2 Topical issues :

- First, he was the spiritual Father of the Idea which dominated the Latest EU Elections of May 2014 : that of a "Spitzen Kandidate", (i.e. a Top Candidate) for every European Political Party, presented for the 1st Time in History as a Candidate for the post of the New EU Commission's President : a Challenge won now by the experienced, former long-time Prime Minister of Luxembourg, and €uroGroup President, Jean-Claude Juncker, as Top Candidate of the Christian-Democrat/EPP Party, which won anew (as back on 2009) the greatest part of EU Citizens Votes also in  the 2014 EU Parliuament's Elections, despite a harsh Global situation and Competition by various EuroSceptics.

+ Second, Martens worked a lot also on the idea of EU's "Eastern Neighbourhood", helping many former Central-Eastern Countries to become EU Members, and several other Neighbouring Countries to create close relations and links with the EU, Daul added topically.

=> Last but not least,  all this logically points also towards the current Need to create a Real EU Security and Defense Policy, which should be one of our main Priorities in the foreseable Future, President Daul stressed evenmore.

- In fact, the main reason for the creation of this Fund, is not only to defend the Memory of Wilfried Marten's work, but also to promote that Kind of Political Leader that he was, simply because it's precisely what we Need now also for Europe's Future, explained further the competent Professor from KU Leuven University.

- When he had given a Lecture with 4 main Points, Martens had passed fast over the 1st and 2nd part, European Construction and Political Power, focusing rather on "Love", the 3rd Chapter, which started to exhaust him, and extending much further ahead on what apparently was the most Important for him : The 4rth, "Spirititual" Chapter on "God" and Moral Values, where he added, as he often used to do, also several mentions to various relevant Philosophers, etc, he reminded, (inevitably making think, also, of a similar heritage left by his contemporary from Strasbourg, former President of CoE's Parliamentary Assembly and of EU Parliament, as well as long-time Mayor of Strasbourg's City, after having served also as Prime Minister of France, Pierre Pflimlin : Comp.: ....).

=> At the conclusion, Daul gave to the University of Leuven a 1st Cheque, enough in order to pay at least the 2 first Professors dedicated at this project, expressing the hope for the Wilfried Martens' Fund to gather soon also various other Donors in order to become able to have tens or even hundreds of Professors availabkle for Young People, as he said smiling...

"EuroFora" remembers well Martens, boith as EPP Party's President chairing many poilitically important Summits throuighout Europe, but also as an Omni-Present Top EuroPolitician, who was closely following even CoE's and EU Parliuament' work, both in Bussels and in Strasboug, as well as in many other European Capitals, (mutatis-mutandis, almost as is doing recently his former close collaborator and afterwars successor, former EU Parliament EPP Group's Chairman and new EPP Party President, Joseph Daul, (together with whom they both have foughtg several Hard Political Fights some years ago, f.ex. in Romania, and many other EU or Neighbouring Countries).

(../..)


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