Ventontene Manifesto lives on in the EP

It's 1941 and the height of WWII. Amid all the suffering, a couple of Italians imprisoned for anti-fascism sketched out a vision of how post-war Europe could look on cigarette papers. Their vision was of a continent where nations would be politically and economically bound together so that war would be impossible. On Thursday this “Manifesto Ventotene” was symbolically presented at the European Parliament to mark 100 years since the birth of one of its authors - Altiero Spinelli.

In 1941 Spinelli was imprisoned on Venotene Island along with Ernesto Rossi for his opposition to the war and to Mussolini's rule. The President of the Lazio region presented the Manifesto to the Parliament in the 23 official languages of the EU.
 
After the war Spinelli (1907-1986) would play a leading intellectual role in the emergence of European integration coining the term European Union and pushing strongly for a economic single market.
 
He was a Member of the European Commission for 6 years and a Member of the European Parliament for 10 years until his death. One of Parliament's main buildings in Brussels is named after him.
 
Speaking at the ceremony EP President Hans-Gert Pöttering paid tribute to him. “For Altiero Spinelli, European integration was the greatest answer to European problems. Many of his ideas are still alive.”