Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-05-14-Speech-3-237"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20030514.16.3-237"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
". – Mr President, Members of the European Parliament, observers and distinguished guests, to be addressing the European Parliament is a great privilege and tremendous experience for me. I am glad to be representing Poland here at such an exceptional time. A month ago in Athens the Accession Treaty was signed. In three and a half weeks there will be a referendum in my country, in which the Polish people, it is my sincere belief, will say 'yes' to Poland and 'yes' to a united Europe, 'yes' on behalf of themselves and future generations. I warmly thank the President of the European Parliament, Mr Cox, for inviting me to come to Strasbourg today. I thank all the Members of this House for their warm welcome and kindness. I am delighted that you have been joined by Members of Parliament from Poland and other countries soon to join the European Union. They will be able to take part in your debates as active observers. I salute their presence today.
We have been involved in the development of Europe's ideas and European thought. We have a parliamentary tradition in Poland that goes back to the fifteenth century. We have a tradition of democracy, freedom and tolerance. In the sixteenth century the Polish monarch Sigmund August told the parliamentarians: 'I am not king of your consciences'. From 1569, for 200 years there was a multinational Polish republic based on political union. It was inhabited by Poles, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, Germans, Jews and Armenians. Many historians see in that Polish republic a template for today's European Union.
It was then in that republic in Warsaw in 1791 that Europe's oldest constitution was adopted. Our region has had a stormy history. We have often fallen victim to European powers. We have fought for our lost freedom. Poland and our region gained independence in the twentieth century. Unfortunately, that was also a century of nationalistic ideologies and hatred between neighbours. It is a tremendous success of history that we have managed to overcome those differences, and that we have followed the path of reconciliation, of trust and cooperation.
I thank the President, Pat Cox, for what he said in his opening remarks and for recalling Westerplatte, the Gdansk shipyards and Solidarity. He mentioned Lech Walesa, Karol Wojtyla - His Holiness Pope John Paul II. That kind of image and memory of Europe is important to us. That is what we need for the future.
There were fears that with the overthrow of Soviet domination there would be conflict and tension in central and eastern Europe. That was true, in part of our continent – in the Balkans – but in our part of the continent, things went differently. We built bridges not walls. Now, we are entering the European Union as a group of friendly, cooperative countries. We are strengthening Europe's stability and security, also through our good relations with Russia and Ukraine. We make a significant contribution to European openness, to east-west dialogue and to opening up new opportunities for integration. Ladies and gentlemen, Members of the European Parliament, you are accepting us as partners, as members of the family, made of the blood and bones of the community of Europe.
European integration is a fact, but it is no conjuring trick. People are responsible for bringing it about. Fifteen years ago, people had the courage to throw off the yoke of a totalitarian system and to pursue a vision of the united Europe. There were peaceful changes in Poland, in the Czech Republic, in Hungary, and the aspirations for independence in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. We woke up to life under freedom and democracy without recourse to weapons and violence. Had it not been for our bloodless revolutions we would not have demolished the walls and the project of a united Europe would never have been realised.
It was also the countries of western Europe that decided on the fate of the continent. Right at the beginning, without preconditions, the western countries agreed to accept us into their circle. That was a tremendous gesture demonstrating your courage, solidarity and sense of responsibility. The success of integration has its roots with those west Europeans who at the times of the great changes in the east of Europe saw us as partners and joint custodians of our continent. Freedom and democracy know no borders. A united Europe is not just about a common market, funds and subsidies. It is a community of values. A society cannot be about just a bit of freedom, a bit of democracy and a few rights. A Europe without the Berlin Wall cannot be a Europe with just a bit of freedom, a bit of cooperation and a bit of solidarity. Europe is for all of us. Our dreams are for all of us. Let us make them a reality together.
A year from now, the European Union will be a body of 25 Member States bringing together the energy, knowledge and ability of 450 million Europeans. A real world power is growing before our eyes. Let us not be afraid of that term. Let us be proud of Europe as a world power.
Europe's strength has been its ability to evolve and adapt to the needs of the time. This process has taken place in stages. This house is a demonstration of that. Thirty years ago there was no European Parliament. Since its inception it has changed, building the spirit of democracy in Europe's institutions. There was also no European Council but since its inception it has been changing. That is what European integration has been about. It is not the institutions of Europe that built the European community, it was the other way round. I tell the Poles that it was not the Brussels bureaucracy that created European integration. It was integration that needed the centre to grow around Brussels, and that remains the case today.
There are plenty of challenges facing us: the European Constitution, implementing the Lisbon strategy, reforming the common agricultural policy, working on common foreign and defence policy. To be able to deal effectively with those questions, we all need to communicate and cooperate. We need to respect one another's needs, experiences and points of view. On the one hand, we have to strengthen the Community method and on the other we have to bring about better effectiveness. If we manage to do that - and I am sure we will - the European Union's institutions and procedures will never be a bottleneck obstructing integration. If we are led by a vision of solidarity and respect for each other's interests with moderation and compromise, we will be able to deal with the challenges that face us.
Europe is uniting and growing. This is no longer just a vision: it is real and it is happening now. A symbolic and clear reflection of this was the European Parliament's recent decision to hold the door wide open for us. No one has done more than you, ladies and gentlemen, to enable us to join the EU. Nowhere has there been such unequivocal support for the integration process as here in this Chamber.
The united Europe is a key global centre of development and civilisation. That means there are a number of questions that we must respond to about how Europe is developing. What about Europe's relations with our other partners, above all the United States? Twice, America helped Europe to regain peace and to overcome totalitarian rule. Let us remember that European problems led to European disasters. The transatlantic link and the American presence on our continent enabled Europe to live in peace and security for more than 50 years after the Second World War.
Now, more than ever before, our global alliance and partnership is necessary. While building our transatlantic relations we need to look at the opportunities that cooperation between Europe and America can offer in resolving the problems of humankind.
Concerning Iraq, on behalf of Poland I would like to say that now the war has been won, we also want to win the peace in Iraq. We believe that the international community cannot leave the Iraqis without support. They need humanitarian help and stabilisation. The final result of the war and all our other efforts must be the democratisation of Iraq, an Iraqi Government, an Iraqi economic development giving that country an opportunity. Poland wants to ensure that in the reconstruction process, the United Nations will play a crucial role. We look forward to a new UN Security Council resolution laying down the conditions for positive changes in Iraq. Poland will do all it can to be fully involved in those processes.
I firmly believe that without cooperation between Europe and the United States it will not be possible to achieve lasting peace and security in the world. Without that cooperation, there will be no human rights all over the globe. There will be no balanced development and we will not be able to overcome the excesses of globalisation. We will not be able to defeat international terrorism. Also, we will not be able to bring about an authentic dialogue between all humankind. We will not be able to give the UN the place that it deserves. That is why our cooperation is so important. I also believe that the European Union has to grow in strength. Once aspect of this is the current enlargement. There is also the need to develop a common foreign and defence policy. We want to play a full role in the development of such a common policy. The European Union must count on the international scene and our partners have to understand that.
In building our strength and working together with others we have the greatest opportunity to succeed in our objectives. I am sure that this cooperation will be in the framework of partnership between friends on the basis of equality. After all, that is simply part and parcel of equality here in the European Union today.
Another crucial question is that of the European Union's future borders. The Union will be complete not only when it is a single political entity, not only when Romania and Bulgaria join, but also when the other Balkan countries join, and when we deal with the issue of Turkey. We also face the big challenge of cooperation with eastern countries: Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus. Poland's eastern border will be the longest land border in the enlarged EU. We want to play an active role in the development of the Union's eastern policy, taking advantage of our experiences and contacts to ensure that after enlargement there will not be a new curtain. We do not want an iron curtain, we do not want a velvet curtain, we do not want any curtain between east and west. The great Pole, Pope John Paul II, said that Europe should breathe with both its lungs, eastern and western.
Behind us we have a long road, good intentions, hard work and a wealth of experience. Next year when Poland accedes to the Union, it will mean the end of fifteen years of solid effort. The same goes for other new Member States. All that we have done in our countries, the pain of transformation, has been part of our road to joining the European Community. Our achievements and our changes were our preparations. We know the work is not over yet, we know that there is a great deal still to do and a great deal still to learn, but nobody will be able to say that we joined the European Union via some kind of shortcut.
We bring to the Community all our achievements. We have come to the Union via many paths, but what is very interesting is the way there are countries joining the Union that have overcome Soviet domination and have undergone transformation. Democracy, the rule of law and a civic society are a reality in our countries. We carried out the economic changes. Let me give you an example. In Poland since 1990 GDP has risen by 50%. Back then, the lion's share of that GDP was taken up by the public sector. Now, three-quarters of it is accounted for by the private sector. That is a big change in our economic structure. 15 years ago, 70% of our trade was with the Eastern Bloc, now 70% is with the EU. 13 years ago Polish inflation was at 500%, now it is under 0.5%.
Mr Cox, your President, visited us in Poland two weeks ago. He is a great European, a great Irishman, of whom I was bold enough to say he is an Irishman with a Polish soul. Your President came to us with a message from Strasbourg. He told us that the door was open and your hearts and minds were open too.
I assume we are being applauded not just for our low inflation rate but for our economic achievements in general!
Over those 12 years our economy has attracted USD 65 billion dollars in foreign investment. We are grateful to those who took the risk and who now are happy about the fact that Poland is a safe haven for their investments and for building up their businesses. I would like also to refer to the potential of Poland's young, dynamic population, which is thirsty for knowledge and is raising its skill base. Today in Poland in higher education, we have two million university students, that is more than the population of some of the new Member States of the Union.
But these economic changes, these social changes, the political transformations are not just an achievement of Poland. Other countries, other new Member States of the EU have been through the same thing. They are joining the Union with the same level of energy.
In your vote you confirmed that Europe's enlargement is not a problem, it is a tremendous opportunity for Europe and I am sure we will be able to make the best use of that opportunity.
Enlargement is also about strengthening the role of our continent on the international arena. Greek mythology tells us the tale of Europa, the beautiful daughter of Agenor, who so charmed Zeus that he took on the form of a bull and abducted her. The question now is will today's Europe seduce us in the same way with her beauty? As a President, as a human being, as a man, I say yes.
(
A vision of a united, growing Europe of solidarity of achievement is an attractive one. It is an inspiration for us, it is an encouragement for us to proceed, to make progress. That vision is like the Ode to Joy, full of enthusiasm and faith in a better future, faith in people. That is a vision worth living and working for all over Europe, in the current European Union and in the European Union of the future, even for those for whom EU membership is still a distant prospect.
Allow me today, on behalf of Poland and all the accession countries, to thank you for your decision, for your votes. We are very grateful to you, our friends and fellow members of the European family.
I bring hope to you from Poland. I believe there are good times ahead for Europe. I extend warm thanks to you that you are sharing your united, integrated Europe with us. Together we can do great things.
It is no coincidence that it is here in the Strasbourg Parliament that the greatest enthusiasm for European unity is to be found. When Poles ask me what the EU is for, why we are joining it and what the point of European integration is, the clearest answer comes from here – the European Parliament – the place where many national traditions, experiences and languages join together, united by the belief that it is worth being in Europe together.
Today's Europe is about what we have in common – our shared heritage – but also about our differences, our national cultures. Robert Schuman was right when he said that without its diversity Europe would not be Europe. There is something else special about us: our debt to the founding fathers and the relentless work of generations of Europeans. This is about the will to work together, which is like a compass that guides us along the paths of history. That is Europe's strength. I do not know whether there is any clearer symbol of this than this multilingual, multinational Parliament. I am not talking about the walls of this building, but about
ladies and gentlemen – real people with your emotions, experiences and dreams. You represent your national electorates, but in defending their interests you have Europe's common good at heart. Your day-to-day work makes clear to me that my partners' success is my success as well. That truth is a pillar of our shared Europe and from now on we are going to be building it together.
Never in half a century of the European Community has there been such a vast and radical enlargement. There are 15 Member States and soon there will be 10 new ones. For the first time the Community will be taking in countries from behind the old Iron Curtain. That too is a new quality. In the negotiations we have got to know each other. But although we filled thousands of pages with statistical data, although our politicians, negotiators and experts now call each other friends, our peoples still know precious little about one another. Yet if we go beyond the simplifications and stereotypes, if we give free rein to our curiosity, we realise how much we have in common. I am convinced that strengthening the European Union into a body of 25 countries is not like making a collage but about fulfilling the potential of all the regions of Europe.
The countries now at the threshold of Europe have one thousand years of shared European history behind them. For Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia it goes back even further. Take Krakow in Poland, Prague in the Czech Republic, Estergom in Hungary, Levoca in Slovakia, Vilnius in Lithuania, Riga in Latvia and Tallinn in Estonia. They are emanations of a universal culture and mirror images of Europe itself."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
"Kwasniewski,"1
"President of the Republic of Poland"1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples