Press Release: Statement by President José Manuel Barroso on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the pan-European picnic near Sopron

'20 years ago, a peaceful picnic near Sopron on the Austrian-Hungarian border helped to change the course of European history. The Sopron picnic on 19 August 1989 brought together hundreds of Europeans from both sides of the Iron Curtain. It led to a brief opening of the Iron Curtain and contributed to its final fall and the peaceful unification of Germany. The Sopron picnic thereby marked the beginning of the end of the division of Europe by the Cold War. Today, I would like to pay tribute to all those persons who made the Sopron breakthrough possible. It gave hope to millions of citizens for a Europe whole and free – a dream which finally became reality when the 10 countries of central and Eastern Europe joined the European Union in 2004 and 2007. It was an event shaped at least as much by ordinary citizens as by political personalities. It speaks volumes of the power of the human spirit and of courageous people who did not merely 'talk the talk', but truly 'walk the walk'. The walk to freedom, democracy and European solidarity. I hope that the European spirit of the Sopron picnic will remain as a symbol and serve as an inspiration for generations to come.'

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