Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-10-26-Speech-2-097"
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"en.20041026.6.2-097"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, honourable Members, if we had to name one thing with which we identify most of all, it would probably be our mother tongue. It follows that all Member States value the fact that their language is recognised in the Union. Based on that achievement, I shall speak to you in Dutch today.
Fortunately, 43 years down the line, those words are no longer true. European unity has taken shape in a convincing manner and has become part of our life. There is little trace, though, of the enthusiasm of those days. Many are now critical and, above all, concerned about the obstacles that are yet to be negotiated. Sometimes, delivering on promises appears more difficult than at first thought, and unanimity about the course to be followed does not always last. Fortunately, we can establish that the looming problems are often the direct result of swift progress that has been made with European unification.
Indeed, those in doubt overlook the many achievements that our countries have now made. The original idea – Europe’s unification – has taken off enormously, to an extent that would probably astound the great Founding Fathers back in the years following the catastrophic Second World War, despite their vision and ambitions. The Union has banned wars from its territory, has subordinated power to law, and has brought the participating countries unrivalled prosperity. Despite times of tardiness and misfortune, the unique European experiment has led to impressive results.
The Union now unifies 25 European nations. As the first Head of State to address your House since the accession of the new Member States, I should like to express a heartfelt word of welcome to their representatives in this Parliament.
Anyone who takes the European ideal to heart has looked forward to that moment. After all, your countries traditionally belong to Europe. Many have thrown off the yoke of years of oppression, which kept our continent divided in two camps. We have the deepest respect for the conviction and decisiveness with which they have done this. We also admire the untold efforts all countries have made to take the many and often far-reaching measures that were necessary to join the Union within a short space of time.
Their joining has made the European family a
an extended family, as it is termed so enchantingly in French. We expect a great deal from this enlargement. The major contribution of the new Member States could well be that they introduce in the Union the same fervour which they demonstrated when they liberated themselves from Soviet rule and when they made the impressive efforts in preparation for membership. The Union as a whole will almost certainly find power and a source of inspiration in this fervour and enthusiasm with which you begin this new chapter, in many cases with the help of the younger generation.
Anyone who joins a new family will always face problems of adjustment, certainly if the family is outside their own country. We in our family have some experience of this! In most cases, the greatest adjustment is required from the newcomer, even though it would be fairer if this task were spread over both parties. This also applies to the enlargement of our Community. The new members will need to make an effort to fit into what already exists in the Union, but the older members will equally need to show willingness to adapt. That is not only the fraternal attitude one may expect in these circles, it is also the quickest way of securing good cooperation.
The EU’s fundamental principle is that it is based on a Community of Law. The countries forming part of this, including those which were among Europe’s most powerful countries, have, in the interest of their common future, placed themselves under the authority of the law. This is a unique step in the history of Europe. This also entails respecting the rights of each individual citizen. This anchoring of the Union in the law is strikingly symbolised by its highest officials taking the oath in front of the entire European Court of Justice.
Our 25 countries are united – but ‘in diversity’. They value their own identities, their own languages and their own cultural heritage. That is the great distinguishing power of Europe, and it is in the interest of all of us to guard and preserve this carefully. The constant confrontation with other cultures makes us more aware of both our own culture and our common heritage. As a result, we are also in a stronger position to face the spirit of materialism and mass culture which is undeniably spreading across the world in increasingly threatening forms.
To be able to function effectively, the Union needs to have clear-cut powers in a number of areas. In other areas, where success is less dependent on the bundling of powers, it may prove useful, by way of counterweight, to leave more room for governments, local authorities and the citizens themselves to find their own solutions either at national level or at regional level. A good balance struck between central and delegated government can avoid the Union conjuring up the image of an all-encompassing bureaucracy that alienates people. If responsibilities are clear and are placed and carried where they best serve the Community, the citizens will have a better grasp of, and more respect for, the common interest.
Europe is not so much about meeting a final objective as it is about the process of getting there. To some, the progress of this process is too slow, while to others, it is too fast. Success often attracts counter forces. These should not discourage us but rather encourage us to persevere. Sometimes, it is about waiting for the right moment. Rome was not built in one day. The same is true of the edifice that was founded on the Treaty of Rome.
Our Union gains in strength if it opens itself up to countries that share our legal norms and commit to meeting the criteria. This awareness can be an encouragement to conduct the consultation with those wishing to join the Union in an open, fair and unbiased manner. If nations exert themselves to making the transition to the democratic form of government as effectively as possible, they deserve extra appreciation and support.
In three days’ time, the Constitutional Treaty will be signed in Rome. The preamble contains the solemn declaration that Europe wishes to continue to apply itself to establishing peace, justice and solidarity in the world. That is a far-reaching ambition and is an indication that this organised Europe feels affiliated with the ideal of an equally organised world. We respect and support the United Nations as a global structure propagating those self-same principles. Peace is the primary condition if any progress and development are to be achieved. Peace is vulnerable and requires intensive care. The EU countries that have managed to keep the peace within their boundaries are now supporting peace operations in other parts of the world and are sending their troops to those regions for that purpose. With the Constitutional Treaty, our countries are giving a clear signal that they are taking responsibility in respect of the rest of the world and will continue unabatedly in their efforts to fight poverty, inequality and injustice.
Ladies and gentlemen, honourable Members, there is on our continent a historical mental affinity, a feeling of togetherness which makes us Europeans. In the Treaties we have forged, we have each time described more clearly the civilisation we would like to live in. Our European institutions, including your Parliament, are the pillars of that civilisation. As you acquit yourselves of the challenging task to represent 450 million Europeans, I warmly wish you the inspiration that Europe requires of all of us today.
At the same time, I am convinced that cooperation in Europe will increasingly demand that we make concessions in this area. If we do not want to turn the Union into a Tower of Babel …
we will need to make an effort to understand each other the best we can. In a multilingual Europe, it is therefore of great importance for young people, in particular, to be encouraged to speak one or more foreign languages in order to be able to talk directly to their fellow Europeans. It is precisely in a unifying Europe that good communication – the direct contact between people – forms the best basis for mutual understanding.
In 1950, the Founding Fathers took the first initiative to set up the European Communities, which were the precursors of our Union. This idea appealed to the older generation, mainly, as a means of banishing war from our continent. To the younger generation, this was, above all, an inspiring ambition and a challenge.
When I was 23, I was asked to deliver a speech on this very topic in front of an international group of young people who felt connected with this European ideal. They subsequently urged me not to remain stuck in the rhetoric, but to encourage young people in other countries to think together about Europe’s future. We set out on this task with much enthusiasm. Europe then offered us a whole new perspective. We saw the opportunity of communicating with our contemporaries, establishing contacts and developing initiatives together across the borders. What had started with such prosaic concrete building blocks like coal and steel, grew into a movement which would raze Europe’s dividing walls to the ground, would keep the peace and would inject renewed resilience and energy into our continent, certainly not, as Robert Schuman stated, as a
a leap into the unknown – but as a leap into a joint future which, this time round, was clearly defined and anchored in treaties. We, the young people in those days, were delighted to take part in this and thus help shape our own future.
I made that speech at a
a European students’ congress, in Toulouse. When I re-read those words now, I recognise the enthusiasm in whose grip we were then. We admired the vision and courage of the Founding Fathers of the European Communities, but thought that the older generation was too much stuck in fine words and took too little action in order to actually establish European unity. During the final meeting at the congress, I stated ‘We should conclude that instead of common ambitions, it is only problems that are uniting Europe at the moment'."@en1
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