the Second World War, he was Vice President (1957–1973) and President (1973–2004) of the International Paneuropean Union, and served as a Member of the European Parliament. He played a central role in the revolutions of 1989, as a co-initiator of the Pan-European Picnic. Later he was a strong supporter of the EU membership of central and eastern European countries. He has been described as "the last Emperor" or "the last Habsburg". Supranational bodies – European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said, "with Otto von Habsburg, a great European has left us who gave an important impetus to the European project throughout his rich life. ... [His] commitment to Europe should set a political example for all of us, especially in difficult times." In his statement, Barroso pointed out that Otto had "made a central contribution to the opening of the Iron Curtain and the peaceful reunification of our continent that had been divided for too long". The President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, stated: "This morning, a European giant passed away [...] In the darkest hours of our continent, Otto von Habsburg has been a rock of truth and humanity. He resisted Nazism with the same determination he opposed the Communist regimes of the Eastern bloc. He kept the flame of hope for the reunification of Europe alive when many others had given up. I will never forget the moment when the Paneuropean Picnic, which Otto von Habsburg organised on 19 August 1989 at the Austro-Hungarian border, cut the first holes in that Iron Curtain of shame." The European Parliament held a minute of silence in honour of Otto von Habsburg. European People's Party – President Wilfried Martens said: "Otto von Habsburg was a great European. He relentlessly defended the European project and European integration". European People's Party Group – Chairman Joseph Daul stated: "Otto von Habsburg embodied the history of European integration like no-one else. The son of the last Austro-Hungarian emperor fought all his life for democracy, freedom, and an understanding of the peoples of Europe. From the beginnings of the movement for European integration following the end of World War II until the now-famous Paneuropean picnic on the border between Austria and Hungary in 1989, he succeeded in overcoming borders and showing Europeans a way forward to a common future." Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization – The UNPO secretary-general Marino Busdachin praised Otto as "a champion