On Saturday 1 July, the first European Ceremony of Honour took place in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where leaders from all over the world gathered to pay tribute to former federal Chancellor of Germany, Helmut Kohl.
At the start of the ceremony, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council President Tusk, and European Parliament President Tajani delivered speeches, and farewell messages were given by former President of the United States Bill Clinton, former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe González and Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivered the closing speeches.
“In Helmut Kohl, a giant of the post-war era leaves us” President Juncker said, describing Helmut Kohl as both a German and a European patriot. “Helmut Kohl was not only the architect of German unity. He contributed fundamentally — more than others — to reconciling European history and European geography” President Juncker said.
From the European Parliament, the coffin was taken to Germany, where the former Chancellor was buried after a requiem mass in the cathedral of Speyer. President Juncker‘s full speech is available in English, French and German, as well as his statement.
