HAPPY BIRTHDAY 89ers

Some numbers are magic. Eighty-nine is undoubtedly one of them. 1689: the English Parliament passed the Bill of Rights. 1789: the French Revolution started, ending centuries of "absolute monarchy". 1989: the Berlin Wall fell, bringing down the Iron Curtain.

Small wonder then that twenty years later, 89 young European people born on November 9th, 1989, were keen to accept an invitation from the European Parliament in Brussels, to celebrate the "20th anniversary of democratic change in Central and Eastern Europe" and take part in a debate on "What does Europe means for me".

Back from the Belgian capital, the British students tell the story of a unique event.

David Saxton, James Kirman, Simon Brown, Kerry Smith, Shamul Gohel, Natalie Sheldon

The people made it

"The people really made it for me" emphasizes David Saxton, a law student in Sheffield: "What I enjoyed the most is meeting with people from all over Europe. Everyone was very excited to be there and had something to say. The vice-presidents and the president of the European Parliament took a genuine interest in the debate. It was very brave of them to invite us all".

As a matter of fact, the atmosphere of the debate, while being "good" according to David, was also "kind of electric", even "sometimes quite tense" recalls Natalie Sheldon, student in the same university: "There were a few sceptical people from countries who had just joined". For Shamul Gohel, multi-interactive media student in Croydon, the atmosphere of the debate was essentially "very professional".

They see themselves as European

The one-and-a-half-hour debate whetted the appetite of the 89 youngvisitors who were presented with a huge Belgian chocolate cake. On top of it, no candles but a giant "Happy Birthday". After this culinary break, the students attended the formal sitting, including a speech by Vaclav Havel, the former Czech president.

What surprised David the most was "the translation in 22 languages": "Thanks to our headphones, we could understand everything!" Very enthusiastic, the law student was also "amazed how well people spoke English"... He also discovered that there were "very different perceptions of Europe": "in the UK, we tend to be dubious of Europe, whereas other EU citizens see themselves as European". 

A symbol of freedom

Twenty years later, what does the fall of the Berlin Wall symbolise for these young British students? "I have always been aware that I was born the day the Wall came down and I see it as one of the many steps toward a united Europe" explains David, for whom "one of the hardest things was for entire families to be divided in Berlin" between 1961 and 1989. For Natalie, November 9th, 1989, represents "a monumental moment in history" which allowed us "to get rid of all tensions in Europe and re-unite East- and West-Germany".

Asked what exactly had changed since then, the students emphasize the freedom of movement and expression: "Before, people couldn't travel freely, they had to stay at home, and now they often don't even need to show a passport when crossing borders", observes Shamul. From Natalie's point of view, Eastern and Central Europe were characterized by "a lot of tension, of fear, the lack of opportunity": "People didn't know what was going to happen, they didn't have a lot of choice", whereas now "they are free to move and have better chances regarding education, employment and culture".

Report by Virginie Malicier

To find out more:

Watch the video on EuroparlTv: "What Europe means to me - 20th anniversary - Youth discussion in EP"

For more pictures taken at the event click go to Flickr page of the EP