Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
My home country is the tiny Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in the heart of the European Union. Created a neutral buffer state between France and Germany at the Vienna Congress in 1814 it has survived as an independent nation, in spite of many dangerous moments, questioning it’s existence.During World War I the country was not a member of the triple entente, it was occupied by German troops, in spite of being neutral, so was it in WWII by the Nazis, who enrolled by force all the Luxembourgers into the German Army. Our liberation by the American troops during the battle of the Bulge is not forgotten, we know what we owe to American veterans. Today we are a member of the Security Council of the UN, our former Prime Minister Jean Claude Juncker has been nominated future President of the European Commission. As a small nation we share responsibilities for peace in the World. Actually 45% of the resident population are non Luxembourgers, coming from a hundred of different nationalities, living together in respect of each other’s culture. Lire plus…