The ''Statue of Europe'' (also referred to as ''Unity in Peace'') is a sculpture symbolising peace through European integration, while at the same time aiming to demonstrate the motto of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

(EU), " United in Diversity". It is located in the garden of

Convent Van Maerlant The Convent Van Maerlant is a former convent which consists of a church and the Chapel of the Resurrection on the / in Brussels, Belgium. It is named after Jacob van Maerlant, a famous medieval Flemish poet. The original chapel was built in 14 ...

(the library of the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

) in the crossroads of the / and the /, in the European Quarter of

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. Made out of resin, the statue measures more than 5 meters and weighs nearly 800 kg. It was inaugurated on 9 December 2003 by

Neil Kinnock Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock (born 28 March 1942) is a British former politician. As a member of the Labour Party, he served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995, first for Bedwellty and then for Islwyn. He was the Leader of ...

and

Viviane Reding Viviane Adélaïde Reding (born 27 April 1951) is a Luxembourgish politician and a former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Luxembourg. She is a member of the Christian Social People's Party, part of the European People's Party. She p ...

, who respectively were

Vice-President of the European Commission A Vice-President of the European Commission is a member of the European Commission who leads the commission's work in particular focus areas in which multiple European Commissioners participate. Currently, the European Commission has a total of ...

and Commissioner for Culture at the time. 2003 was the

European Year of People with Disabilities The year 2003 was designated the European Year of People with Disabilities (EYPD) by the European Commission. It is sometimes called the ''European Year of Disabled People''. The European Commission set aside 12 million euros to recognise the Europ ...

, and the Eastern enlargement of the EU was awaited. The statue was manufactured, modelled, polished, and painted by

visually impaired Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

children under the supervision of by French artist Bernard Romain, who wanted to demonstrate that

disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...

was not a disqualifying factor. Tightly entwined, the differently coloured arms symbolise the culturally diverse peoples of Europe, collectively lifting a sphere reminiscent of the

EU flag The Flag of Europe or European Flag consists of twelve golden stars forming a circle on a blue field. It was designed and adopted in 1955 by the Council of Europe (CoE) as a symbol for the whole of Europe. Since 1985, the flag has also been ...

, surmounted by the

dove of peace Doves, typically domestic pigeons white in plumage, are used in many settings as symbols of peace, freedom, or love. Doves appear in the symbolism of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and paganism, and of both military and pacifist groups. Mytho ...

References

External links

Bernard Romain Website
European Commission
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Inauguration Statue of Europe in Brussel
European quarter of Brussels Buildings and structures of the European Union Buildings and structures completed in 2003 Symbols of the European Union Peace symbols Sculptures of birds