- Title: Germany's Merkel, Europe's Juncker and Schulz open "360° Europe" exhibition
- Date: 12th May 2016
- Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (MAY 12, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXTERIORS OF EUROPEAN HOUSE, VENUE OF EXHIBITION
- Embargoed: 27th May 2016 15:39
- Keywords: Germany Berlin Europe exhibitition Merkel Juncker Martin Schulz
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
- City: BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: European Union,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0014HI4Y87
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Europe's great opened the exhibition "360° Europe" at the European House on Thursday (May 12) in Berlin.
German chancellor Angela Merkel, the European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and the EU's Parliament president Martin Schulz expressed their hopes that this exhibition will get European citizens more involved in all matters European.
In a 360° cinema visitors of the exhibition can take part in a plenary session of the European Parliament. Round tables can also be used to get information about the political situation in Europe and how the European Parliament works. Visitors can direct they questions and concerns directly at their European MPs or hand over to the employees of the European House.
Merkel highlighted the importance of the location in close proximity to the Brandenburg Gate because of its great symbolic value and called the European House "a location of mutual enrichment".
"Europe thrives from an open and exciting debate. And the search for compromises is not the search for the lowest possible denominator but the only way to reach joint solutions with which everyone can identify," she said at the opening. "And very often the idea that everyone yields are the reason why a solution is more durable than if only one party prevails 100 percent."
The EC president Juncker expressed his hopes that many people will visit the European House, "(n)ot only Germans but all those who come from outside of Germany in order to get informed here."
Juncker agreed with Merkel that Europe needs a culture of debate. "We don't need mass brawls but a culture of debate," he said. "And I hope that here, on this location, people will argue about Europe, in order to bring Europe further."
About the visa liberation that is part of the deal between Turkey and the EU, the parliament's head, Martin Schulz, has said lawmakers will not deal with the proposal before Turkey meets all the criteria, adding he did not see this happening before July.
He pointed out that "(w)e as the European Parliament stand for this agreement". But he also pointed out that the agreement was made not with a private person, mentioning Davotuglu, but with the Turkish government.
The migration deal has sharply reduced the flow of refugees and migrants after some 1.3 million people passed through Turkey to reach Greece and Italy since the start of 2015.
EU officials and rights groups have accused Turkey of using broad anti-terrorism legislation to stifle dissent. Ankara says it needs the laws to battle Kurdish militants at home and threats from Islamic State in neighbouring Iraq and Syria.
For many Turks, visa-free travel to Europe is the main reward in the deal. But Turkey has still to meet five of 72 criteria the EU imposed, including the narrower definition of terrorism. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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