"Kohl had Europe in his heart. Schröder, he had it in his head"

Interessante. Os políticos, antes de chegarem aos cargos e, sobretudo, depois de saírem dos cargos, têm grande clarividência do papel das ideias -da História, da Filosofia- na preservação das instituições e na construção de elos de ligação entre os povos. No entanto, enquanto ocupam os cargos todos eles são economistas corporativos e desprezam completamente a o papel da educação e das Humanidades na dinâmica positiva das culturas.
Juncker diz aqui nesta entrevista que os europeus sabem pouco uns dos outros mas foi nesta UE que, por todo o lado, quase se anulou o ensino da História, com o intuito, penso, dos povos se esquecerem de antigas quezílias fronteiriças. Não me parece que a ignorância seja, alguma vez, apaziguadora. 
Pena que estas clarividências lhes cheguem sempre tarde demais. Por cá, Mário soares também as teve, já tarde, depois de muitos anos a fomentar redes de interesseiros e chupistas do Estado que nos trouxeram onde estamos: reféns dos amigos do Sócrates. 

DER SPIEGEL: As an active politician, you have experienced three German chancellors: Helmut Kohl, Gerhard Schröder and Angela Merkel. Who was the most European?

Juncker: Kohl by far, because he was a historian. He could think in historical contexts and explain them to others. Besides, he was also someone who was considerate in his dealings with smaller member states. For example, Kohl could recite the names of Luxembourg resistance fighters who were murdered in German concentration camps during the last days of the war.

DER SPIEGEL: Seriously?

Juncker: Yes, seriously.

DER SPIEGEL: Why did he acquire that knowledge? Did you ask him?

Juncker: Kohl had Europe in his heart. And when it came to German interests, he suddenly had Germany in his head. People always act as if Kohl were somehow a totally gung-ho European. He wasn't though. He knew how to insistently represent German interests. Gerhard Schröder, whom I also appreciated very much, didn't have Europe in his heart at all. He had it in his head. For him it was a logical and rational unification process for which there was no alternative. By the end of his term in office, though, he also had Europe in his heart.

Interview Conducted by Markus Becker, Susanne Beyer and Peter Müller