On June 15, 2026, Tom McTague, editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine *The New Statesman*, visited Houjarray, the house where Jean Monnet lived with his wife Silvia from 1945 until his death in 1979. He wanted to explore the place where Monnet reflected, entertained guests, worked, and sketched out the contours of what would become Europe.
Welcomed by Jean-Marc Lieberherr Monnet, founding president of the Jean Monnet Institute and Jean Monnet’s grandson, he walked with him along the paths of Bazoches-sur-Guyonne that his grandfather used to take every day before heading to Paris for work. These walks, which Monnet called his “real work,” were for him a time for reflection and meditation.
That visit inspired Tom to reflect on Jean Monnet, his vision of Europe, and what his legacy can still teach us today. Published on June 23 in The New Statesman, his account is both a tribute to a man of vision and action and a reflection on the future of the European project. A need is emerging in today’s world: the need to reconnect with the principle of generosity that inspired Monnet and formed the foundation of his ideas and actions.