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Europeans have remembered a picnic that changed the course of history. The ‘Pan-European Picnic’, was held on the Austrian-Hungarian border on 19 August 1989. It was a peace demonstration that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain. Twenty years later, European leaders met at the same place to celebrate the famous, historical event. Hungarian President Laszelo Solyom and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were among those who took part in the festivities. It was a special moment for Merkel as she was born and spent her youth in communist East Germany. The picnic two decades ago was the first in a series of events that led to the reunification of Germany and freedom for millions.

The event took place on the same field in the Hungarian town of Sopron. Angela Merkel said: "My trip…is a thank you to Hungary and to the people who live there.” She added her thanks to the organizers of the original freedom picnic, “who showed courage and foresight and who helped speed up the process of democratization in Central and Eastern Europe". European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the event 20 years ago "helped to change the course of European history….It led to a brief opening of the Iron Curtain and contributed to its final fall.” That day twenty years ago also helped to increase the pace of globalization. Without it, Russia and China might still be closed.

www.breakingnewsenglish.com