Paneuropean Union
The International Paneuropean Union, also referred to as the Paneuropean Movement and the Pan-Europa Movement, is a European unification movement. It began with the publishing of Count Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi's manifesto Paneuropa (1923), which presented the idea of a unified European State. Coudenhove-Kalergi was the organisation's central figure and President until his death in 1972.
History
The organisation was prohibited by National Socialist Germany in 1933, and was founded again after the Second World War. Otto von Habsburg, the head of the Habsburg dynasty and former Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary, became involved with the Paneuropean Union in the 1930s, was elected its Vice President in 1957. Following Coudenhove's death von Habsburg became its International President in 1973 until 2004. The President of the Union since 2004 is Alain Terrenoire, former Member of Parliament in France, a Member of the European Parliament, and Director of the French Paneuropa-Union. Its Vice-President is Walburga Habsburg Douglas, a former member of the Swedish Parliament.
The Union has branches in many European countries, with the General Secretariat located in Munich. In France, the Pan-Europa Union was founded by later President Georges Pompidou and later cabinet minister Louis Terrenoire.
Winston Churchill lauded the movement's work for a unified Europe prior to the war in his famous Zurich speech in 1946.
Grounded in liberal values, the Paneuropean Union was considered staunchly anti-communist from its inception and especially during the Cold War. For this reason, the organisation was much reviled by the communist regimes of the Eastern Bloc. The organisation became renowned for its role in organising the Pan-European Picnic, an event during the Revolutions of 1989.
Presidents
| No. | Name | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi | 1923–1972 | Elected the first International President in 1926 |
| 2 | Otto von Habsburg | 1973–2004 | Former Crown Prince Otto of Austria-Hungary |
| 3 | Alain Terrenoire | 2004–present | Former Member of Parliament and MEP, France |