Vienna/Brussels, May 13, 2010Exactly 49 years ago, European Democrat Students (EDS) was founded 13th of May 1961 in Vienna as The International Christian-Democratic and Conservative Student Union (ICCS) and had five founding members: Austria (FÖSt), Germany (RCDS), Sweden (SKSF), Norway (DKSF) andOn that very day, when the Constitution was adopted in Vienna, in a hostel called Vogelgesangsheim, Gerhard Brunner (FÖSt), Ulf Hellners (DK), Dieter Ibielski (RCDS), Halvor Bache-Halvorsen (DKSF) and Carl-Henrik Winqwist (SKS) as representatives of the signatory organisations wrote true European history: They created with ICCS an organisation that became the most powerful political student organisation in Europe. Renamed first to ECCS and finally 1975 to the current name EDS, this organisation set the agenda for several generations.
EDS campaigned already in 1964 for a ONE EUROPE, in times where the Berlin Wall was just built. Its commitment for a free and united Europe was a motive for decades to come. As first ever, EDS enhanced the creation of a united European party, which became later reality with the European Democrat Union (EDU) and the European People´s Party (EPP).
Since 1977 and 1978, EDS regulary organises its Summer and Winter Universities which in 2010 are conducted as XX. Winter University in Brussels and XXXIV. Summer University in Zilina. During the decades, EDS educated and brought together several ten thousands of young people to make the European dream come true.
By constantly growing over the years, EDS today has 38 members from 32 different countries, serving as platform for more than 500.000 students and youngsters. Its campaigns for the issues of students and young people as well as its commitment for the European unification are today as much valid as at those times. Therefore, EDS never gives up fighting for young people allover the continent.
Next year, EDS will celebrate its 50th anniversary with all the alumni and active people of today. It is our task to remind the old times, but also to derive from them the historic lessons with good years to come for Europe. Let us make the European dream real - happy birthday!
Bence Bauer
Chairman
European Democrat Students
EDS is a member association of