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Diplomats, industry leaders mark EU's 50th anniversary

"We've had our squabbles. But those squabbles haven't compared to the conflict Europe saw before it united under one banner."

-- Micheal Reilly, director-general of the British Trade and Cultural Office

Scores of European diplomats and industry leaders descended on Taipei European School on Yangmingshan yesterday to mark the EU's 50th anniversary.

Amid speeches by top European trade officials and performances by students, the school rang in the EU's half-century birthday while dignitaries congratulated the institution, which prides itself on building a "diverse, harmonious" Europe.

"We've had our squabbles," said Micheal Reilly, Director-General of the British Trade and Cultural Office, referring to occasional disagreements among EU members.

"But those squabbles haven't compared to the conflict Europe saw before it united under one banner," he said.

Reilly's comments followed an act by a student clown in which a child performer dumped a bucket of candy on a crowd of primary school students who had sat through an hour of speeches.

The bonbon shower sparked a feeding frenzy and unhappy shouting from candy-craving students who were too far away.

True to their European roots, however, the youths finally settled down after a bit of intervention by adults.

"Children," French Institute in Taipei Director Jean-Claude Poimboeuf said, "you represent the future in which the EU will grow even more close-knit."

A group of young unicyclists also put on a show as they rolled around stage to blaring rock music.

Despite one nasty-looking spill that thankfully injured only a rider's dignity and a handful of near collisions, the performers managed to ride around in a circle resembling the ring of stars on the EU's flag.

Comprised of English, French and German-language sections, the school boasts nearly 1,000 students from 57 nations.

The school plans to unveil a new elementary school campus in Shilin, Taipei, by the end of August, school registrar William Butcher said.
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