EUROPEAN UNION AND DIPLOMATIC EXPERIENCES
SPRING 2012
One of the most interesting parts of our assignment is to attend diplomatic receptions. We posted this photo previously, but gave no explanation. It was taken at a Danish reception in the EU Parliament with Nicolai Wammen, the Danish Minister for European Affairs. You can see that Darelyn has him charmed! The magazine that he is holding, has his photograph on the cover to announce the Danish rotation into the EU presidency for the next six months.
Since Bruxelles and Strasbourg each contain agencies and institutions of the European Union, they are often the sites of protests and public relations efforts representing many causes. This photo was taken at Schuman Square adjacent to the European Council and Commission buildings near our home.
Just a ten minute walk from our apartment is the impressive and well manicured "Cinquantenaire Park", which reminds me of our beautiful Washington , D.C. The magnificent Triumphal Arch, built in 1880 in a burst of patriotic pride to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Belgian independence, is flanked by a military history museum on the left, and a classic car museum on the right. (Two great interests of the Belgian people!) On any beautiful Saturday, David likes to walk there where he sits and reads, and watches the world go by... European style! It is by far my favorite monument and area, and I often walk through those arches and another block further, where there is a charming shopping area. How could I be so lucky!
All dressed up.......and a very special place to go!
On this particular occasion, we were invited to attend a concert and dinner at the very prestigious "Cercle Royal Gaulois", an all male private club in Bruxelles. Events there are almost always "black tie". Many debutante balls and Belgian professional events are held at this club. The annual dues are extremely pricey costing thousands of Euros, and a rigorous approval process is applied. David passed the interviews, and because we are on a mission, a member friend offered to cover the dues. However, we decided not to join, as this is an "older gentlemen's club", (and after all, we are so young!) and we will be invited to events from time to time in any case.
A lovely dinner at the club with our host Pierre Ducuroir and his wife, Paulette (on the far right), with her sister in the middle. These wonderful women are from the town of Bastogne in the Ardennes region of Belgium where the "Battle of the Bulge" was fought in the harsh winter of 1944. They recalled for us how the American General, Anthony McAuliffe, when surrounded, was ordered to surrender by the German command. He sent back the famous one word response: "Nuts"! They were little girls at the time and remembered covering the American tanks with their sheets, to camouflage them in the snow. They said that when the American soldiers marched through the streets, they would throw nuts from their second floor windows!! They said that they never forgot the sacrifice and blessings brought to their country by the United States Armed Forces! They told us over and over how grateful they were to America!!! It was so wonderful to hear their heartfelt appreciation.
Prior to dinner a wonderful violin concert was held in this beautiful room. An "old world" charm is very much a part of Bruxelles everywhere we turn. In the 15th Century, the Dukes of Burgundy prevailed and the next two hundred years saw a high point in culture, finance and politics, only to end when King Louis XIV of France ordered the destruction of Bruxelles. The resilient Begians re-built the Grand Place and the magnificent buildings better than ever, and they still exist today. Three cheers for Belgian tenacity!
Whaaaat........Bill Clinton in Bruxelles!!!!!!!!
William Sturdy is a Member of the European Parliament representing East Anglia in the United Kingdom. He is a Conservative free-trader and we have become good friends! We think he is a dead ringer for Bill Clinton!!!
This photo was taken at the dinner following an International Conference: "The Arab Spring One Year After: Challenges, Prospects and Strategies for Change." On David's left is Mohammed Rehan of the Egyptian trade union movement. He will have a hand in writing Egypt's new Constitution. They spoke at length about the United States Constitution and how to advance the principles of separation of powers, checks and balances, independent judiciary, due process, respect for the rule of law, freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly in Egypt.. On David's right is Abdelhafidh Chaibi, a Tunisian academic and business man who was very active in the Revolution in his country. He is now helping to establish a stable and productive society in Tunisia, and studied in the United States as a young man.
Following a meeting on: "Non-violent Protests and the Future for Moderate Islamic Reformers Post Arab Spring", it was a rare privilege to meet Bakhtiar Amin, former Minister of Human Rights in Iraq. David was very happy to offer him words of encouragement in establishing a peaceful society where respect for religious diversity and freedom of worship could prevail. He is also the Secretary General of the Kurdish Institute in Paris, and holds an M.A. and Ph.D. from the Sorbonne. Our daily prayer is for Heavenly Father to place those persons in our path whom He wants us to meet. We are amazed at the number of high-level diplomats and EU officials with whom we have developed cordial and deepening friendships.
This photo was taken during a meeting in the Parliament on "The Mapuche in Chile: Economically Empowering Indigenous Communities" chaired by Ana Miranda, a Member of the European Parliament from Spain. The person on the right is Victor Naguil Gomez, international representative of the Chilean Wallmapuwen community in Paris. When I told these people how proud I was of my grandson, Elder Morgan Cram, who is serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Santiago, Chile, they were all ears and my credibility went up enormously! Notice that this meeting room in the EU Parliament is ringed with translation booths. The EU employs 70 translators and interpreters for each of the 27 member country languages. That is 1,890 people at a cost of over 14 million dollars each year!
Dr. David A. Peterson, Diplomatic Representative to the European Union for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 2011-2013.
"I think it highly appropriate to roll out the red carpet for this diplomat..." says his wife!
Garden Reception at the lovely home of Ambassador and Mrs. Louis de Corimier, Canadian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium.
There are 754 members of the European Parliament from 27 member countries. Plenary sessions are held in Brussels, Belgium and Strasbourg, France, with elaborate meeting facilities in each city. Critics say this system is ridiculous and should have been abolished years ago, however, that decision would need unanimity and France could use its veto. Because Parliament is supposed to be a truly European body, its benches are not divided up along national lines. Instead, it is made up of MEPs belonging to broad "political families." (We have noted that the "bomb throwers" in the 1968 Paris student revolution are now respected members of Parliament!)
David is at the Parliament so often, that he has become friends with this gentleman, who is the head usher at the Parliament. Note the Medallion denoting his authority as an official "gate-keeper".
A festive "Europe Day" in front of the EU Commission's Berlaymont Headquarters, just a block from our apartment. The European Union is still seeking its own identity. Part of the reason for the "crisis" in Europe today is the failure of convergence among member countries, where the old nationalisms have not faded away. The International Herald Tribune recently observed that only 2 percent of Europeans live in a different European nation than their country of citizenship. They still have very different understandings of the rule of law, political order, work ethics and conceptions of citizenship. Unity out of diversity is going to be hard to achieve in the "European Project".
On "Europe Day", we were hosted by a Hungarian friend in the sacrosanct European Commission meeting room. This is where the 27 members of the Commission meet each Wednesday, to decide weighty matters of European policy. Here David is sitting in the chair of the Commission President, Manuel Barroso, of Portugal.
"GROWING STRONGER TOGETHER"
This banner displayed on the side of the EU Commision building proclaims" "Growing Stronger Together", in three languages. We have noticed a variety of EU propaganistic banners placed at this prominant site. In the midst of the Euro Zone financial crisis, the desire on the part of the EU leadership is to consolidate more power in Bruxelles, at the expense of national Parliaments and democratically elected representatives of the European people in their home countries. Ironically, it may require "more Europe" to overcome the almost fatal flaws in the original design of the European Union, which have been exposed during the current crisis.
(The round glass structure on top of the building is where David sat in President Barroso's chair)
This photo was taken from the European Commission conference room on the 13th floor of the Berlaymont building. You can see the Triumphal Arch in the background, and the new oval shaped headquarters building of the European External Action Service. (EEAS is the EU foreign service, and is headed by our good friend, Ambassador Pierre Vimont, who recently served as the Ambassador of France to the United States.) This "flying saucer" shaped building is illuminated at night by deep blue lights around its perimeter, visable from our apartment. "Beam me up, Scotty!"
Every three months or in "times of crisis", the Presidents or Heads of State of the 27 EU member countries meet in the European Council building in Bruxelles. (Named the Justus Lipsius building for an ancient European scholar.) These meetings are intended to set the overall political direction that the EU will take over the next several months, and to settle the most contentious issues, which could not be agreed to by more junior ministerial councils. It has been getting a lot of use recently!
This is the European Council meeting room. It has been the venue for rather dramatic sessions dealing with the Euro crisis involving David Cameron, the United Kingdom Prime Minister, Angela Merkle, the Chancellor of Germany, and former French President Nicholas Sarkozy.
(note the glass translation booths)
We were surpirsed when we exited the Commission building to find that the international press was
waiting for us!!
(At least it's fun to pretend we are celebrities)
We send all our love and best greetings!
Au revoir from Bruxelles!
David and Darelyn
