Mr President,
The message is loud and clear, here in the Bundestag, too: Europe is turning 50.
We have talked about it a great deal in the last few weeks. Now the event is upon us. In just a few days, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, and today's debate is rightly dedicated to this occasion.
Why is this date so special? Let us take a look back.
In 1957, Europe had two devastating wars behind it. People were still clearing the rubble from the last conflict. This was the context in which the Treaties establishing the European Communities were signed in Rome. The event marked the beginning of a process whereby European integration would – in addition to and without undermining the transatlantic partnership – become a second pillar of our identity.
The Treaties envisioned reconciliation through bonding together, peace through cooperation and prosperity through economic integration.
The foresight of the founding fathers can perhaps only be truly appreciated today. Ideas which rang of pure utopianism back then have in many cases become political reality today.
Modern-day Europe is a continent of peace, prosperity and stability. If European integration has stood for one thing in particular, it is living together peacefully. Fifty years ago, there was little which people craved more. Today, peace has become such an immutable aspect of daily life that young people cannot imagine anything different.
Europe in 1957 was also a divided continent. Today, 50 years on, this division has been overcome. People in Central and Eastern Europe form an integral part of our Community. And it was their desire for freedom above all which made this possible.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I have no doubt that, from the perspective of many regions of the world, these achievements alone would give us cause to say the European Union is a success story. And for this reason, this must be one of the messages of the upcoming anniversary.
We should take the time on 25 March to remind ourselves of the elements of this success.
The European Union stands for peace and a united Europe. But it means more than that. It means an internal market for almost 500 million consumers. It means a single currency in the Eurozone. It means freedom of travel, from Lisbon to Helsinki.
The European Union also stands for a common trade policy for 27 Member States. For it is only by joining forces that we can hold discussions with the USA, China and India on an equal footing.
Finally, the European Union means – even if this is not always easy – a common European foreign policy. It means working together for peace and development throughout the world. As a union, we are a respected actor on the international stage. Together, we Europeans are the largest donor of development aid in the world. As the EU, we have a place at the table in the Middle East Quartet. Our creative influence in the world is greater when we use it on a European scale. This is why we want to expand this scope, and this is why we need a truly effective Foreign and Security Policy.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The EU is far more than a common economic area with a common foreign policy. Some of the greatest successes of European integration are the principles which underpin our cooperation.
The EU is founded on democracy and the rule of law, on freedom and responsibility, on respect for diversity in Europe, on tolerance and solidarity in our dealings with each other.
The EU today stands for a societal model which – for all its differences – is increasingly being viewed as "European" outside the Union, not seldom with admiration. It is a model of cooperation which serves as an example in many other areas of the world.
And there is one value for which Europe stands in particular: the attempt to achieve a society which combines economic competitiveness with social and environmental responsibility. The European social model represents a society in which entrepreneurial freedom goes hand in hand with the protection and the participation of workers; a society in which achievement brings rewards but also calls for social solidarity.
The social dimension in particular is one of Europe’s trademarks. Further developing this social dimension – and what is more, under the conditions of globalization – is thus one of the major tasks which we in the Member States, but also we as Europeans, will need to address in future.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Europe has grown together, but the whole world has also changed at an increasingly staggering pace. The challenges we face today are radically different from those faced by the founding fathers of the EEC half a century ago.
Globalization and the rise of new economic powers represent a challenge to our competitiveness of course, but they also challenge the cohesion of our society. The effects of climate change cannot be ignored. At the same time, we must come to terms with the fact that natural energy resources are becoming ever more scarce and ever more expensive.
Increasing migration, the threat of international terrorism, crisis situations in far too many regions of the world – these are the questions to which we must find answers today.
And I will say it loud and clear: we must find European answers. In the polyphonic chorus of the globalized world, we Europeans will only make ourselves heard if we speak with one voice; we can only represent our interests effectively when we act together.
This is what European people expect from a responsible EU policy. It seems to me that part of the crisis of confidence in Europe is rooted in the fact that many people over the last two or three years have felt that Europe is more part of the problem than part of the solution.
We must take resolute action to counter this. Our aim is to win back people's faith in Europe and to do this by showing them that European integration brings them some very real advantages.
The last Summit of Heads of State and Government proved that Europe can act, precisely in those areas in which people quite rightly expect it to take determined action. It was not easy for any Member State, and yet we were able to reach an agreement on a very ambitious climate and energy policy.
This gives us courage. The summit was not only a chance to establish incentives for innovation in European industry, but it also tested the resilience of our cooperation with regard to the future. The success of the Summit sends out a signal which goes beyond concrete decisions. It is a signal of confidence: yes, Europe is confronting the challenges of the future, and together we can master them.
This too should be a message of the upcoming anniversary: Europe – succeeding together.
It will also be the underlying theme of the meeting of the Heads of State and Government in Berlin the day after tomorrow and the tenor of the Berlin Declaration to mark the occasion.
For one thing, and this I will say in conclusion, is sure: We will need this confidence, we will need courage and resolve, and we will need something of the visionary foresight of those who signed the Treaties of Rome when we attempt to restart the process of renewing the EU in the second half of our Presidency. The Union of 27 needs a new basis for its work. That is the very heart of the constitution. And with the momentum generated by the anniversary, we want to create the conditions needed to make this process of renewal successful.
With the EC and the EU turning fifty, our past lies in Europe. And I join all of those who spoke before me when I say: our future does even more so!
Thank you.
