From Pam Newby, Exeter 383654, April 29,2008

The Chairman of Devon County Council, Cllr Brenda Taylor, will officially raise the European flag at 12:30pm on Friday 9 May to mark Europe Day - the day all European nations celebrate the creation of the Council of Europe.

Ideas behind what is now the European Union of 25 member states were first proposed in Paris on 9th May 1950, against a backdrop of instability and the need to rebuild a shattered Europe. Churchill's earlier 1947 Council of Europe vision for Europe had begun to grow as French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman called on France, Germany and other European countries to pool their coal and steel production and proposed the creation of a European Institution to manage the coal and steel industry.

Today, Europe Day is also an annual celebration of the European Union's achievements and chance to reflect on its principal aims of peace, freedom, prosperity and working together.

The Chairman of Devon County Council, Cllr Taylor, is a strong advocate of twinning as a way of promoting stronger links with European countries. "My family has gained immense pleasure from our membership of the Exmouth Twinning Association. Exmouth is twinned with Dinan in France and Langerwehe in Germany. We have taken part in many visits and made some good friends through our twinning contacts."

The chairman of the Devon branch of the European Movement, Roberto Franceschini said: "We now take Europe for granted but we need to remind ourselves of the importance of close co-operation across Europe to maintain peace, to deal with growing environmental issues and with the more mundane aspects of day to day life - jobs, tourism, ensuring fair trade and better transport links.

"Above all there is wide recognition of the real potential that all European citizens can offer each other. We need to consider that Europe is not just Brussels or our governments deciding to act together, but involves all the people. Here in Devon, we are working together to build a better future in the awareness of our common European values."

NOTE TO EDITORS:

The Devon Branch of the European Movement was founded in 1975 in Exeter and has been providing an all party, non-platform for European topics in Devon. The membership is spread throughout Devon and meetings are usually held in Exeter. Speakers from across Europe and the UK provide topical issues to raise public awareness across a range of social, economic, environmental and political topics. Meetings are open to the public.

Media representatives are invited to attend the flag raising at County Hall, Exeter at 12:30pm on Friday 9 May.