May 11, 2006

The EFA (European Free Alliance) is a fraction in het European Parliament headed by Belgian politican Nelly Maes. She invited Dirk and Kris for the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the EFA. Present were about 500 people form all over Europe, all from democratic regionalist parties. Their main goal: the right to use their own language and be themselves in their own country. Sounds evident, but it is not: Italian Tirolians, Swedish Fins, Bretons and Basks, Corsicans and Flemish: they all in one way or another feel there still is a way to go.

Dirk played parodies on Guy Verhofstadt (of course :"Welcome in Belgium where we do not have any problems between the different languages"), Sylvio Berlusconi ("I willa becoma presidente offa Europe !") and George Bush ("Thanks for your support in our war against terrorism"). Dirk also wrote a new version of the European Anthem, which the audience sang along loudly !

Dirk alias Verhofstadt. Nelly Maes, Jaak Vandemeulebroucke and Begoña Lasagabaxter watch carefully. Special thanks also to - not on the picture, but nevertheless:- EFA director Günther Dauwen.

If you wih: count the flags. There were more flags than countries in Europe, as there are many more regions in Europe with different cultures than there are countries. And all of them sent a delegation !

The new European Anthem:

A:I love Europe and its nature
It’s people and its regions
But I have problems with its structure
States in stead of Nations

B1: There are the Welshmen, there are the Scottish
Swedish Fins and Catalans
Basques and Frysians and the Flemish
And Slovenian Italians

B2: Russian Latvians and Sardinians
Silésians and German Belgians
Galicians and Corsicans, Hungarian Slovaks
And South Tirolians

B3:Occitáns, and Andalusians
And thére I’m not tálking about the sauce
Venetians and Cornish, So many others
United for an honest cause

A:I love Europe and its nature
It’s people and its regions
But I have problems with its structure
States in stead of Nations.

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