(Brussels) “Thirty years ago, Germany and Europe were living one of the most important and significant pages of their recent history. After decades of suffering, the excruciating wound of the division of Germany and Europe was to be gradually closed, thanks to the crumbling of its most evident and despicable symbol. The wall finally came down thanks to the efforts of thousands of men and women who were very keen to regain their freedom and dignity, after years of oppression and of being deprived of their fundamental rights”. David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament, commemorated the fall of the Berlin wall at the opening of the plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels. Next to Sassoli was German Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble who took the floor after him. “I want to recall that the success of that night – Sassoli said – was the result of the determination of millions of Eastern European citizens who peacefully, without any violence, but just with the strength of their reason, were able to free themselves from the yoke that they had been under for decades. It is also to the courage of those European citizens that I would like to pay tribute today”.