Introductory speech of the Speaker of the House of Representatives
Mr. Anita Demetriou at the Parliament's Europe Day event entitled "The future of the European Union: Protecting EU principles and values and the active participation of citizens"
9 May 2023
House of Representatives
Time: 10.00 a.m.
Honourable guests,
Dear colleagues,
Dear friends,
Every year on 9 May, a day known to all as "Europe Day", our thoughts inevitably turn to the pioneers of European integration, Robert Schuman and Jean Monnet. Two prominent, leading political figures who, looking ahead of their time, dared to envision a united Europe, based on peace and cooperation, which would leave behind the wreckage and destruction of the Second World War and embark on a promising new course for the benefit of the States, but above all for the benefit of European citizens. The Schuman Declaration of 1950 and the vision of Jean Monnet were the driving force behind what we now call the European family. The establishment, first of the European Coal and Steel Community (1951) and then of the European Economic Community (Rome, 1957) were merely the starting point of a long journey through time, which gradually led to the creation of the single market with the free movement of people, goods, capital and services, and finally to the suigeneris political union of states that we all know today - undertakings and achievements that are, of course, not easy. The course of the then European Community, and later the European Union, through time was of course marked by the occasional waves of enlargement and the integration of more and more states into the European edifice, the form of which evolved through the establishment or amendment of the Treaties of the Union. It was precisely in the context of this process that 19 years ago, on 1 May 2004, the Republic of Cyprus, together with nine other states, was part of the biggest wave of enlargement.
Friends,
Today, we can proudly speak of the principles and values of the European Union: individual freedoms, human dignity, democracy and extended political rights, equality in all its aspects, the rule of law, human rights, the principle of non-discrimination on any basis. Principles and values enshrined in the Treaty on European Union, forged over time and whose practical application in the past was far from self-evident; even today, unfortunately, in many cases their application is difficult and challenging. But our citizens, European citizens, must be aware that it is precisely these principles and values that have guaranteed and continue to guarantee the cohesion of the European edifice. They are the central axis, the common thread of the Member States, even if our political priorities or approaches to specific issues may differ from time to time. It is, after all, a common assumption that the history of the Union has been accompanied, among other things, by compromises - after all, it would be impossible for everyone to agree on everything all the time. As I have said before, European citizens may in many cases have wished for a Union that was more decisive in solving problems, or a Union that moved at a faster pace. But, as Schuman said, "Europe will not be built in one go, nor in an overall edifice: it will be shaped by concrete achievements that will first create real solidarity". As we all know, historical continuity has vindicated Schuman; but we must not forget that it is precisely the protection of the principles and values of the Union and the expression of solidarity between us that are the guarantees of our existence, prosperity and progress.
The above, of course, does not exclude the fundamental democratic right of every European citizen to criticise the European institutions and to demand more from the European Union. After all, Jean Monnet's vision was, my friends, "a union of people and not just an alliance of states". So it is with this in mind that we today, as a Union as a whole and as Member States, must protect the principles and values of our European family, precisely because they serve the human being. They shape the European democratic environment in which citizens have the right to criticise, to ask for more rights, to demand more rights, a stronger social face for the Union, more security and protection, transparency and more democratic decision-making, as well as effective management of their problems. The undeniable achievements of the Union to date do not negate the need to strive to improve its functioning and the need for more progress. On the contrary, they are the basis and positive precedents on which we must build more, always with the citizens at the centre.
In the above context, as is well known, the House of Representatives participated with its delegation in the work of the Conference on the Future of Europe: a democratic project based precisely on the logic of feedback from the bottom, i.e. the citizens, to the top, i.e. the European institutions. During the Conference and in the context of the Conference, the House of Representatives organised, in the past year, an event in the form of an open dialogue with Cypriot European citizens and in particular with the young people of Cyprus, in order to listen to their views and transmit them to the European level.
This exercise of democracy should be a permanent effort of both the European institutions and the Member States. In this way, we are working without complacency to bridge any gap between the Union and its citizens, in order to avoid slipping into extreme political positions and easy populism as the supposed solutions to our problems. This is a risk that is particularly prevalent in times of crisis, such as financial or pandemic crises. Moreover, the current challenges facing our European family today are anything but complacent. Both major and broader problems, such as security, the effective and humanitarian management of migratory flows, climate change and the Union's foreign policy, and the everyday issues of concern to citizens, such as social justice, decent employment, improving health, misinformation - particularly on the Internet - and the digital transformation of society, require constant vigilance, constant communication with citizens and the recording of their concerns. It is precisely our constant communication with citizens that will cultivate the consciousness of the active citizen, the citizen who participates in the public sphere and, by extension, will further consolidate the ideals of democracy, the principles and values of the European Union and of modern democracies. Otherwise, they risk remaining empty declarations.
Dear guests,
Dear friends,
The invasion and war that has been plaguing Ukraine for more than a year and the ongoing occupation of Cyprus for more than 49 years, has come to remind us that we should not take certain values, such as peace and freedom, for granted, nor should we take as a stereotype the phrase that the European Union built peace after the Second World War. In addition to the violation of the rights and freedoms of the Ukrainian people, the ongoing war is also having a negative impact on the entire European continent: economic, energy, social, as well as creating a climate of insecurity. This demonstrates how much we must defend European principles and values, given how easily situations or rights that have been recorded in our collective consciousness as a given can be overturned. It is for this reason that the European Union, by enshrining its principles and values for the benefit of its citizens within its own territory, also maintains in its external relations with its neighbouring states the objective of building cooperation and relations based on democratic governance and respect by these states for the same principles and values, thus creating conditions of peace and stability.
In declaring today's event open, I wish you good work and good results.
Thank you.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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