Brussels - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso planned to attend Monday's "Festival of Freedom" domino-toppling extravaganza marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The head of the European Union's executive arm said he painted one of the dominoes himself, together with school children from Brussels.
Barroso said the collapse of the wall that had divided East and West Berlin for decades represented "an impressive symbol of the reunification of Germany and the whole of Europe."
In a statement, he described November 9, 1989 as "a moment in which everything seemed possible, marked by happiness, a desire of freedom and the idea of a peaceful revolution."
Analysts said the former Portuguese premier was likely to discuss top EU posts, including candidates for the next European Commission, with fellow leaders while in Berlin.
The EU executive is currently in power in a care-taking capacity pending the entry into force next month of the reforming Lisbon Treaty.
