Štefan Füle
European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy
Anna Lindth Foundation
Naples, 28 October 2014
Excellencies, President Azoulay, dear friends,
It is with mixed emotions that I
address you today as Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood
Policy. On the one hand, I am sad that our joint work is coming to an
end but on the other, I am also proud of what we have achieved. Last
night you presented me with an award for my contributions to civil
society and dialogue in the Mediterranean. I thank you most sincerely
once again for this valued recognition.
I am so glad, dear André, that
you are here with us today. I appreciate that you must also be running a
similar emotional gauntlet. This is one of your last acts as President
of the Anna Lindh Foundation, a role you have performed with great
vision, courage and wisdom. So let me, at the very outset, congratulate
and thank you most sincerely for all that you have done for our common
cause.
Much of what we have achieved
over the past five years in the Mediterranean could not have been done
without the Anna Lindh Foundation: without your guidance, without the
inputs from the advisory group and certainly not without the dedication
and hard work of the networks and most importantly of the Executive
Director Andreu Claret and the Staff in Alexandria, who are the very
heart of the Foundation.
In my five years as Commissioner
for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, during which we have
witnessed tumultuous changes in the neighbourhood, there have been
setbacks and some successes. Throughout, I have tried to ensure that
civil society is present in the different relations between Europe and
the neighbouring countries, and that those relationships are based on
fairness, equal participation and transparency.
This has not only been a
professional obligation for me, it is also personal. You know that from
my background and the struggles of my own country to break free from
repression and to finally take its place at the table of democratic
countries. I remember the men and the movements that made many
sacrifices in the pursuit of freedom and democracy. They have helped
inform my thinking and given me reassurance in times of doubt.
In my political career I have
been inspired by Vaclav Havel, who, like some other famous international
statesmen of our times, made the unlikely transition from prisoner to
President. It was he who said:
"Without free, self-respecting
and autonomous citizens there can be no free and independent nations.
Without internal peace, that is peace among citizens and between the
citizens and state, there can be no guarantee of external peace."
Those words reverberate now as we strive together to bring peace, prosperity and security to the Southern Mediterranean region.
Dear friends,
Allow me to make three remarks about the task of helping our Southern Neighbours.
First, the ownership of this
whole transformation and transition processes lies strictly with you,
our Southern Neighbours, and you should be the ultimate architects of
the required changes. The European Union has no intention of imposing a
model. We, the European Union, in a spirit of partnership, will be in
the forefront of helping you achieve these goals and ensuring they bear
the fruits of your impressive efforts so far on the path of political
transition. It is not only our responsibility, but also our obligation
and in our self-enlightened interest.
Second, Europe has tried, not
always successfully, to help bring the people into the complicated
equations of governance in the region. And then in 2011 you rewrote the
script. You said enough is enough. You took to the streets with your
protests and demands for freedom and dignity. You won your way into the
living rooms and hearts of the watching world. Your bravery came at a
huge cost. Europe responded, and continues to adapt to the new
circumstances. We have got some things right and some things wrong. We
too have had to rewrite our script and are still on a learning curve. We
need to not just change our programmes and policies, but also our
mind-sets. We could have done better. There is lots of room for
improvement. I do not want to talk about success or failure except to
say that we tried and continue to try. The real failure is in not
trying.
Third, the challenges in the
Southern Mediterranean still remain huge and they grab our attention
every day in the media headlines: Syria, Iraq, Libya, the Middle East
Peace Process, 'ISIL/Daesch', etc. Along with the conflicts there are
also the other political and economic challenges that you know only too
well, like alarmingly high youth unemployment, extremism and lack of
trust in all established institutions.
And now there is this new
challenge also: how to manage the expectations of those who have
suffered and witnessed many sacrifices in their quest for reform and
dignity?
Democracy will not appear overnight
–as experiences in the 'old Europe' the East and the Balkans will testify
–but the path to reform is irreversible.
Dear President, Ladies and Gentlemen,...
Today, I am not going to give
you a balance sheet of the programmes, policies, instruments and
financial flows from Europe to the Mediterranean over the past five
years. Those figures are readily available for you. I would rather, in
the spirit of the occasion, and in recognition of the award, concentrate
on the real advances we have made together on the tortuous road to a
free, inclusive and just society.
But first a question: What is Europe's motivation, our rationale, in helping our neighbours?
Europe's birth out of crisis and
conflict is a living illustration of the ambition to reconcile people
in a common destiny, overcoming the destruction brought about by
division, distrust and hatred. It has helped us have a better
understanding of the desire for dignity and respect in diversity. As
President Barroso said on the occasion of the award of the Nobel Peace
Prize to the European Union in 2012: "As a community of nations that has
overcome war and fought totalitarianism we will always stand by those
who are in pursuit of peace and human dignity."
We are now working to move from
rhetoric to reality, from assertion to action in a world in which
democracy knows many definitions.
Democracy is about a series of
freedoms – expression, association, movement. It is freedom from fear.
Democracy is about a series of freedoms about representation, inclusion
and accountability. That is why I have always put an emphasis on Civil
Society's participation in efforts to make our relations more inclusive.
We want a relationship that puts people at the heart of the policy agenda, and projects our joint values and interests.
Do not underestimate the part
you can play in these transitional times. Your role lies in generating
ideas, mobilising people, acting as a bridge between society and the
authorities. You can provide a way for citizens to get directly involved
with the hopeful reforms in your countries. You can act as the
independent eyes and ears inside - not only your own countries - but
also inside the European Union, calling us to account; representing the
views, concerns and aspirations of citizens.
The political and legal
frameworks within which you have to operate continue to change. Some
progress has been made with greater freedoms of expression and
association. But, unfortunately, we also see tendencies in the opposite
direction in some countries where steps are being taken to significantly
restrict freedom to operate independently.
I regard Civil Society's input
as the most important on the long road towards freer and fairer
societies. You are a central actor in the creation of dynamic spaces,
in the creation of the trust and the confidence to promote tolerance,
cooperation and coexistence.
A vibrant civil society and a
functioning democracy depend on the right of citizens to freely exercise
their right to peaceful assembly and association. This nurtures open
debate, providing safeguards against conflict and instability.
Governments need to engage with civil society to help ensure that reform
programmes both reflect and have the support of society at large. This
is why we are encouraging countries to establish a regular structured
dialogue with civil society representatives to discuss issues related to
the implementation of reforms. Genuine cooperation between governments
and civil society is necessary, for example, when it comes to:
• monitoring the conduct of election campaigns;
• ensuring improved access for media and the public to information; and
• protecting freedom of expression and association.
In the end it is all about
dialogue. But dialogue is not a fig leaf for passivity and inaction. We
are promoting it as a complement, not as an alternative, to active
support for political and societal reform.
These are the primary principles
that underline the Regional initiative for mechanisms for dialogue that
many of you in this room have been working with us over the past 18
months. I am delighted with the progress you have made since the
initiative was launched in Marseille at the Anna Lindh Forum. I have
kept my side of the deal and made €1 million available for a series of
activities in a pilot phase to test out the possible mechanisms for such
dialogue.
And you are certainly keeping
your side of the deal too. I have been impressed with the depth and
breadth of your recommendations in the different consultations and
working groups. The pilot phase is now underway, as I requested it
should be when I spoke to you in Brussels last April. My only regret is
that I cannot accompany you along the rest of that road. But I am
comforted by the fact that the initiative now has its own forward
looking dynamism and is in good hands, your hands. And I can reassure
you here that this initiative, and civil society's best interests, will
continue to enjoy the political and institutional support of my
successor, Commissioner Johannes Hahn.
Dear President, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me finish by repeating
something I have said many times: "Dialogue needs first and foremost a
political and social will that can be underpinned by receptiveness,
elimination of misunderstanding and stereotypes, pluralism and mutual
recognition of each other's differences. Intercultural dialogue must
tackle, preserve and even promote cultural diversity." That is the Anna
Lindh 'calling card' this is their mandate, this is the role they are
performing so well under extremely different and difficult
circumstances.
The Commission has always been a
strong supporter of the Anna Lindh Foundation and intends to remain so!
I believe that we have demonstrated this support not only through our
discussions but also through our financial support. In fact, we are
preparing a new contract of 7 million euro that we will sign before the
end of the year; we hope that other donors will also continue to support
the Foundation.
And let me stress that our continuing support is rooted in a sense of necessity and urgency.
Necessity because, across the
Mediterranean, we are faced with the same challenges, we share common
interests and we seek the same opportunities.
A sense of urgency also, because we are faced by the combined threats of intolerance, fear, ignorance and incomprehension.
More than ever, there is a need
for dialogue based on knowledge, tolerance and respect among the peoples
bordering the Mediterranean, in particular to address stereotypes and
dispel growing fears and misunderstanding.
Dialogue needs first and
foremost a political and social will that can then be underpinned by
receptiveness, elimination of misunderstanding and stereotypes,
pluralism and mutual recognition of each other's differences.
Intercultural dialogue must, in my opinion, tackle, preserve and even
promote cultural diversity.
I deeply believe that cultural
diversity, the idea of the "other", does not have to be perceived as a
threat, but as a challenge and an opportunity. Not as something to fear,
but as something to aspire to.
So once again, congratulations
to the Anna Lindh Foundation on this milestone Tenth anniversary. It has
been a pleasure and a privilege working with you and having the honour
to share in these celebrations. And as the famous old saying goes: "We
only part to meet again."
Thank you very much.
