{"id":67,"date":"2025-01-13T13:36:46","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T13:36:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/me.mwd-dev.lu\/?page_id=67"},"modified":"2025-04-28T14:30:32","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T14:30:32","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/me.mwd-dev.lu\/fr\/history\/","title":{"rendered":"Histoire"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Our founder, the late Fran\u00e7ois Visine<\/h1>\n<div>\n<p>Fran\u00e7ois Visine was born on 24 September 1922 in Haraucourt, near Nancy. A Doctor of Law and Economics, a winner of prizes awarded by Law Faculties, the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences and the Acad\u00e9mie fran\u00e7aise, and a Member of the European Senate, he was a passionate lifelong defender of the European cause. He took on numerous commitments, but the apotheosis of his European work was the creation and development of the Fondation du M\u00e9rite europ\u00e9en. He died in Paris on 14 February 1995.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A senior NATO official from August 1951 until September 1987, Fran\u00e7ois Visine always campaigned for an \u201cexistential and humanist\u201d Europe, for a society that shows respect for mankind and freedom. He established the Club de l\u2019ABC de l\u2019Europe, an association under French law that was intended to facilitate an awareness of Europe by all appropriate means and, in particular, to encourage the compilation and dissemination of all works of an encyclopaedic nature on the then constantly evolving Europe. This Club became the legal basis of the M\u00e9rite europ\u00e9en and the Fondation du M\u00e9rite europ\u00e9en took over from it. Fran\u00e7ois Visine was the author of numerous works, including the very well-known \u201cdictionnaire Visine de l\u2019Europ\u00e9en\u201d 1980). Most of his works and articles are available in the Luxembourg State Archives<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><video src=\"\/_res\/uploads\/2025\/01\/visine.mp4\" poster=\"\"><\/video><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cPeace would be easier to achieve if mankind could be made to adhere to a concept of respect for different ideas, languages, civilisations, codes of ethics, religions &#8230;. This concept exists and it is called \u2018federalism\u2019 &#8230;\u201d<\/p>\n<footer>\n<p> <cite>Fran\u00e7ois Visine<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/footer>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h1>HISTORY<\/h1>\n<h2>The early years<\/h2>\n<div>\n<p class=\"p1\">The M\u00e9rite europ\u00e9en was introduced on 8 February 1969 in Paris, at the Club de l\u2019ABC de l\u2019Europe, by Fran\u00e7ois Visine. This club was to become the Fondation du M\u00e9rite europ\u00e9en, a non-profit-making association established in Luxembourg in 1970. It was placed under the honorary presidency of the President of the Luxembourg Government on 18 March 1983. It has its headquarters in Luxembourg.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Since the 1970s successive Luxembourg Prime Ministers \u2013 from Gaston Thorn, Pierre Werner and Jacques Santer to Jean-Claude Juncker \u2013 have played a major role in developing and extending the influence of the Fondation du M\u00e9rite europ\u00e9en. They have always been unstinting in the invaluable support they have given to the work done by Fran\u00e7ois Visine, the founder, and his friends. In autumn 1989<br \/>the Foundation was recognised as a public service corporation by a Grand-Ducal decree.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">In the early years its activities focused mainly on the publication of works on Europe, such as the very well known \u201cdictionnaire Visine de l\u2019Europ\u00e9en\u201d, which was a standard reference work in Europe for many years, until the advent of the computer and the Internet. Reference may also be made to a draft \u201cEuropean constitution\u201d in 1990, which showed the relevance, commitment and visionary side of the Foundation and its founder.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2>The second phase of its existence<\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>In the second phase of its existence the Fondation du M\u00e9rite europ\u00e9en ceased producing its publications as plenty of information on Europe became available online, and it confined its activities to conferring awards. This is generally done at an academic event attended by eminent Europeans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2>More recently<\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>While numerous awards were initially awarded mainly to important politicians or leading figures in the European Union institutions as well as journalists, the Foundation \u2013 always concerned about adjusting to a changing, constantly evolving Europe \u2013 decided also to honour people who are contributing in any way and in any area to the reputation and development of the European Union. The scope of the awards was thus extended to cover eminent humanists, scientists, and cultural, literary and artistic figures in the wider sense but also those who are endeavouring to promote the European idea at grassroots level, either in schools, associations or clubs, etc.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2>2010, a year of major innovations and new developments<\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>In 2010 the Fondation du M\u00e9rite europ\u00e9en celebrated its 40th anniversary. To mark this occasion, it created two new highly prestigious awards: the \u201cgrand collier\u201d and the \u201ccollier du M\u00e9rite europ\u00e9en\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Eager to increase its influence in synergy with other important organisations, the Fondation du M\u00e9rite europ\u00e9en entered into partnership and cooperation agreements with the Centre Virtuel de la Connaissance sur l\u2019Europe (Virtual Resource Centre for Knowledge about Europe, or CVCE) and the University of Luxembourg. The cooperation agreement between the FME and the CVCE was signed on 7 June 2013. The first event was organised to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great European Pierre Werner, a former Prime Minister of Luxembourg and \u201cfather\u201d of the euro. The programme included a colloquium on the Werner Plan and the subsequent development of Economic and Monetary Union. An agreement was also signed on 18 September 2014 between the University of Luxembourg and the Fondation du M\u00e9rite europ\u00e9en. The numerous contacts that preceded this agreement showed a clear desire to work in synergy and come up with common concrete projects. These recent examples of cooperation will give rise in future to major European events that will help to spread Europe\u2019s influence in Luxembourg and beyond. The Fondation du M\u00e9rite europ\u00e9en also decided to establish and develop an \u201cAssociation des m\u00e9daill\u00e9s\u201d (Association of medal-holders), which is intended to maintain a relationship between all the eminent persons who have received awards by means of events organised by the Foundation and the organisations with which it cooperates. The members of the Association will benefit in three ways: they will be kept regularly informed of the activities of the Foundation, be offered the opportunity to meet with other medal-holders and, where appropriate, play an active part in carrying out projects that the Foundation will undoubtedly be organising with the University, the CVCE and European institutions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2>Un nouvel accord de coop\u00e9ration avec l\u2019Universit\u00e9 du Luxembourg en 2023<\/h2>\n<div>\n<p class=\"p1\">Le 19 avril 2023, des repr\u00e9sentants de la Fondation du M\u00e9rite Europ\u00e9en et de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 du Luxembourg se sont r\u00e9unis pour c\u00e9l\u00e9brer la poursuite de leur collaboration et signer un accord formalisant leur partenariat pour les trois prochaines ann\u00e9es. La Fondation du M\u00e9rite Europ\u00e9en, fond\u00e9e en 1970, collabore avec la Facult\u00e9 de Droit, d\u2019\u00c9conomie et de Finance (FDEF) ainsi qu\u2019avec la Facult\u00e9 des Lettres, de l\u2019\u00c9ducation et des Sciences Sociales (FHSE) de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 du Luxembourg pour concr\u00e9tiser leur mission de promotion des id\u00e9aux de l\u2019unit\u00e9 europ\u00e9enne \u00e0 travers diverses actions depuis 2014. La fondation a son si\u00e8ge dans la maison natale de Robert Schuman, un b\u00e2timent qui a \u00e9galement \u00e9t\u00e9 historiquement occup\u00e9 par l\u2019Universit\u00e9 du Luxembourg. Avec pour devise \u00ab Vouloir l\u2019Europe, Conna\u00eetre l\u2019Europe, Agir pour sa r\u00e9alisation. \u00bb (Vouloir l&rsquo;Europe, conna\u00eetre ses probl\u00e8mes, agir pour la r\u00e9aliser), la Fondation du M\u00e9rite Europ\u00e9en organise et participe \u00e0 des conf\u00e9rences, d\u00e9cerne l&rsquo;Ordre du M\u00e9rite Europ\u00e9en \u00e0 des personnalit\u00e9s \u00e9minentes qui ont contribu\u00e9 \u00e0 l&rsquo;avancement des valeurs europ\u00e9ennes et r\u00e9compense l&rsquo;excellence acad\u00e9mique des \u00e9tudiants de Master en Droit et en Sciences Politiques de l&rsquo;Universit\u00e9 du Luxembourg.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our founder, the late Fran\u00e7ois Visine Fran\u00e7ois Visine was born on 24 September 1922 in Haraucourt, near Nancy. A Doctor of Law and Economics, a winner of prizes awarded by Law Faculties, the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences and the Acad\u00e9mie fran\u00e7aise, and a Member of the European Senate, he was a passionate lifelong [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-67","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/me.mwd-dev.lu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/67","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/me.mwd-dev.lu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/me.mwd-dev.lu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/me.mwd-dev.lu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/me.mwd-dev.lu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/me.mwd-dev.lu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/67\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/me.mwd-dev.lu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}