provide massive Community aid to the Eastern Bloc countries , subject to two vital conditions : not to run any unnecessary risks in terms of military alliances that could threaten peace , and to speed up the union of the Community in order to achieve a modern federalism based on subsidiarity ’. Delors then expressed solidarity ‘ with our German friends on both sides of the iron curtain that is now falling ’. As a militant pro-European , he underlined his conviction that the political cooperation measure adopted by the Council was the most important in the Community ’ s history and that more resources , coordination and speed were needed to ensure that hopes were met . As a result , he said that ‘ the Community must be strengthened , its proactiveness increased and its integration accelerated ; now we must design the architecture for the great Europe ’.
The debate ended with an overwhelming majority vote – with only two votes against – for a resolution in which the events in Central and Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Wall due to the people ’ s peaceful aspiration for freedom were warmly welcomed . The resolution recognised the right to self-determination of the German Democratic Republic ’ s population , including the possibility of becoming part of a unified Germany in a united Europe ; it called for a rapid response from the EC in terms of aid and cooperation for Central and Eastern Europe , ‘ within which institutional ties may be offered to all those countries that are interested in it ’ ( a timid euphemism for accession ); and , last but not least , it insisted on the importance of a mutual security policy and disarmament negotiations on the eve of the Bush-Gorbachev summit . Chancellor Kohl commented , at a later date , on his astonishment at the firm socialist support , both in the European Parliament and among the Heads of Government in this political family , for the resolution of the German question .
That debate in the European Parliament was important owing
96