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The intersection of history: Who are the famous leaders participating in the Hague Congress?
The Hague Congress was held in The Hague, Netherlands, from May 7 to 11, 1948. The conference brought together 750 delegates from across Europe, as well as observers from Canada and the United States. The organizers of the conference, Duncan Sandys and Józef Retinger, brought together representatives from different political spectrums and gave them an opportunity to discuss ideas for the development of European political cooperation.
This conference was hosted by the International Committee for the Unification of Europe and later became the basis of the European Movement. Important political figures who attended the conference included Konrad Adenauer, Winston Churchill, Harold Macmillan, etc.
The main topic of this conference is the call for European political, economic and monetary unity. At the meeting, Spanish politician Salvador de Madariaga proposed the establishment of a European college so that university graduates from various countries could study and live together here. This was a great development for a country that had just experienced war at the time. Significant.
Many philosophers, journalists, church leaders, lawyers and scholars also participated in the conference. The diversity of these participants also reflected the extensive exchange of ideas in Europe at that time. At the meeting, participants discussed the future structure and role of the Council of Europe and made suggestions for human rights protection mechanisms. These suggestions eventually formed the later Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
After the meeting, on the 20th, at the Western European Union Ministerial Conference, Robert Schuman's Foreign Minister Georges Bidault put forward a proposal to create a European Parliament, which eventually transformed into the European Council.
The conclusions of the Hague Conference became French government policy and gradually transformed into European government policy. During the meeting, participants adopted three resolutions: political, economic and social, and cultural. The political resolution reflected a common ground between the federalists and the more progressive intergovernmentalists, and also for a closer union in Europe.
As the meeting progressed, the participants reached a relatively unanimous consensus on the proposal of "sharing and transferring sovereign rights." Although the initiators and followers of this proposal still had doubts about the ideal of establishing a federal state. There are disagreements.
The meeting confirmed that the goal of the establishment is not only to seek enhanced economic cooperation, but also to integrate cultural aspects.
The influence of the conference cannot be underestimated. The exchange of ideas during this period laid the foundation for subsequent European integration. Starting from the Hague Conference, the future development of Europe is no longer a matter for individual countries, but a vision jointly pursued by all European people.
The diverse backgrounds of the representatives at the conference demonstrate Europe's ability to move towards a more ambitious alliance, and the Hague Conference is a milestone in this process. However, in the current context of rapid changes in global relations, we cannot help but ask: Can Europe today recreate the spirit of unity and cooperation of the past and promote a deeper alliance?
