Ladies and gentlemen,
It is an honour to be with you today in this outstanding institution, where future European leaders are trained, to inaugurate this academic year of the European College.
I am really pleased to give the “lecto inauguralis” to the promotion “Pericles”, who is considered as the founder of Democracy.
And I express my thanks for having invited me.
Many years ago, in 1986 I also studied and obtained a ‘licence special’ on European Studies from the Institute Européen de l’ Université Libre de Bruxelles”, one of your sister institutions in Belgium.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We find ourselves at a historical moment in the midst of big challenges.
Similarly to the period around the Second World War, we are yet again, at a turning point.
In the aftermath of the Second World War, figures like Robert Schuman, Jean Monnet, Konrad Adenauer and Alcide De Gasperi overturned conceptions of diplomacy and international public law to promote their vision of Europe and to launch a movement that is our inheritance today and of which we are the driving force.
The question is where are we today, where is Europe going and what have we learned from history?
Talking about Pericles, myself as former mayor of Athens, I can tell you that his legacy is deeply ingrained in the culture I come from.
I can also tell you that those are ideals that became universal and defined the political, social and cultural evolution of the Western World.
They are at the heart of the European project, of our community of values, of our legal order.
We are all, somehow disciples of Pericles political work and legacy.
Being in Italy, I cannot avoid mentioning what was written by the historian and prominent journalist Indro Montanelli about Pericles in his book: “History of the Greeks”.
I quote:
“Pericles was a real democrat, without demonstrating it and he never did anything excessive.
To him, the best system was an enlightened liberalism which would guarantee social conquests, together with progressive reforms and would exclude vulgarity and populism.”
How close are his words to our times?
The parallels with our European Union, I believe, are rather obvious – as are the lessons for the challenges of today.
Looking back at history, we realize that it is the very generation of our forefathers which experienced the tragedy of the two World Wars, that envisioned and set the foundations of the New Europe, within the context of which all European Nations co-exist in harmony.
They established the Europe of solidarity and cohesion.
Today, its cohesion, solidarity, core values and principles are under pressure if not at stake.
These values are common to Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality prevail.
At a time when the European Project is facing yet another crisis, we need to stick to these values to preserve what the previous generations have fought for and inherited to us.
A lot has changed since the 5th century before Christ.
But still, in today’s world, Europe’s system of values stands by freedom, democracy,
rule of law and solidarity.
Its core values.
We need a Europe that stands by its values.
This implies first and foremost accepting that our destinies of all Europeans are interlinked.
This requires a true sense of common responsibility and solidarity, principles not of moral nature only, but also of a legal one, since they are explicitly stipulated in the treaties of the Union.
As the Commissioner in charge of migration, security and citizenship, I’m among the first in line to uphold these European values in addressing the migratory and security challenges, since both are testing their endurance.
Today, Europe is facing an unprecedented migratory pressure, its biggest challenge since the end of the Second World War.
We are here in a country that is for the last years on the frontline of this challenge.
Italy has shown an enormous amount of humanity and responsibility to those hundreds of thousands of desperate people, who seek a ‘safe haven’ in Europe.
The same for neighbouring Greece. But both countries are not alone.
Europe is standing by, supporting Italy and Greece to face and manage the crisis.
2015 has been the year of many records.
More than one million people arrived at the Italian and Greek shores, and have also reached other countries across Europe and along the Western Balkans’ route, as well as Germany, Austria and even Sweden.
More than 1.2 million people applied for asylum in the EU.
Hundreds of thousands were rescued by Frontex and the Italian and Greek Coastguard.
Almost 4000 lives were lost at sea.
As we head into spring, we know that the numbers will spike again.
And some continue to believe that this is a responsibility that should be shouldered only be a handful of countries?
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The 21st century will be remembered as the era of human mobility – and we have not reached the peak yet.
Underlying trends in poverty, climate change, war and instability in neighbouring regions, mean that people will continue to seek to come to Europe, ignoring and defining rough seas walls and fences.
The crisis has shown that south and northern Europe, that east and west are all connected.
In the beginning erroneously some believe that this was the problem of southern European countries only, but very soon they realise that this was a Pan European challenge with global dimensions.
European countries, will have to continue to stand firm in meeting their legal and moral commitments to those who need protection.
To address the migratory crisis in all its dimensions, the European Commission adopted already in May 2015 a European Agenda on Migration.
It sets out a comprehensive and global approach to better manage migration.
These should address the immediate challenge of restoring order in the Mediterranean and along the Western Balkans route.
However, we have to admit their implementation has so far fallen short.
That is why the European Council 2 weeks ago clearly stressed the need to focus on implementation and on delivering results.
I’m personally fully committed to achieve results on the European solution agreed among us.
Some Member States are, however, tempted by a national approach and uncoordinated actions.
This is counter-productive, and it is backtracking.
‘It is necessary to overcome national interests as forms of social selfishness’, stated De Gasperi.
The refugee crisis is, beyond being a global problem, also very much a European problem.
This means that it requires a European solution.
No country can deal with this alone.
Our common ultimate objective is to get the situation under control and to come back to the normal functioning of Schengen.
To do so, all Member States have to apply the European rules on Schengen.
We should do so while not creating a humanitarian crisis in the Balkans or in Greece.
In this context, together with President Juncker in lead, we are working closely with Member States to achieve swift and significant progress.
We need to increase reception capacities, step up relocations and returns, and avoid a humanitarian crisis.
The European Union must think ahead on how to structurally reform and improve its migration policy to a changing reality.
Currently, there are significant structural weaknesses and shortcomings.
We need a system that provides orderly and safe pathways to the EU for third country nationals in need of protection but also to those who can contribute to the EU’s economic development.
We also need to better protect our external borders – but this can only happen effectively if we look at the migratory from a broader perspective.
This means that we need at the same time to:
– enhance legal and safe pathways to Europe,
– improve the use and implementation of existing legal migration instruments,
– strengthen the Common European Asylum System
– ensure effective integration for those who will stay in our societies
If we want to improve our way of managing migration, we have also to become better at attracting the skilled migrants that we will need in the future, and at ensure the benefits of migration by ensuring effective integration.
There is no doubt that Migration has been and will continue to be one of the defining issues for Europe for the coming decades.
If we do not deliver, Xenophobia will show its ugly face again and we risk fuelling anti-immigrant sentiments across Europe.
Populism is already rising, gaining ground and is threatening our democracies – to remember Pericles.
Walls and fences are being erected, not just physically but also in the minds of many of our citizens.
We are seeing shadows from our recent past, which we never thought we would see again.
At the same time 2015 was a year of several bloody attacks on European soil – all along with the mounting migration crisis.
It was a year that reminded us that European values, our way of life, are under threat.
In the area of security, our response also has to be comprehensive.
That is why we put our European Agenda on Security on the table already in April 2015.
Since then, progress was already made among MS adopt common policies in order to fight terrorism.
We agreed on EU rules to exchange passenger name records between law enforcement authorities.
We proposed the criminalisation of terrorist offences across the Union.
We introduced tighter rules to control firearms.
We took a whole range of actions with civil society to fight radicalisation.
We launched a partnership with the internet industry to fight terrorist content online.
And we will continue on this path to ensure the safety of our citizens.
Because safety is also one of their fundamental rights.
Our fight against terrorism is a daily one, and will continue to be a big priority in 2016.
But just like migration, terrorism knows no borders.
And that is why in this area too, we need to work together, not against each other.
We need more trust among us.
My dear friends,
2016 will be a decisive year in which Europe has to show resilience to address the migratory and security challenges.
The migratory and security crisis are a test case for Europe.
We are at a historic crossroads.
The strength of our resolve is being tested.
These critical moments request leadership, responsibility, courage and solidarity.
Leadership in order to deal with History and not the polls.
Responsibility towards the European Project and the need to maintain it.
Courage in order to overcome fear and uncertainty and to honour the humanitarianism values of our heritage.
Solidarity so as to avoid catastrophic illusions that individual or national actions are more efficient than joint ones.
It is my solid belief that Europe can turn the crisis as a gate to move forward instead of backtracking.
It is not acceptable that while some nations are in the eye of the storm, and struggling to cope, that others erect fences.
The last thing we should do – and I tell this to the next generation of European leaders here in front me – is to take for granted one of the greatest achievements in history.
Our European unity and our freedoms.
Now, more than ever, is the time to defend our achievements.
I am not Marxist, but I will quote Karl Marx who made a quintessential point by saying: ‘history repeats itself’.
No, it is men who repeat history because they do not read it.
History is not only a narrative of the past, but even more it is a lesson for the future.
Concerning the fundamental question as for the Europe’s future there is only one answer that must be given by all EU people and their leaderships.
Instead of a break down we have to pursue a break through.
To lead the evolutions.
To articulate European inspired solutions to our common challenges.
To keep building and completing the European project focusing on our historical aspiration to live one day in a federal Political, Economic and Social system to be named United States of Europe.
And is exactly this unity that we must uphold during these challenging times.
A Unity undermined by populists, nationalists and xenophobics who invest on historic ignorance in order to promote their simplistic and egoistic expedience.
The magnitude of the problems does not allow solo policies.
And all EU leaderships have to realize that.
Winston Churchill, this great European leader said:
“We cannot aim at anything less than the Union of Europe as a whole, and we look forward with confidence to the day when that Union will be achieved
Ladies and gentlemen,
We as well, 60 years after and despite of these challenges and problems we are confronted with, we should look forward with determination and confidence the moment of this accomplishment.
And here I come back to you again, those who will lead the future of Europe.
You are now in that position of reading and analysing history, of seeing what is unfolding around you with fresh eyes.
You should help us all draw lessons from a generation that lived in the aftermath of the tragedies of the two World Wars.
We cannot risk to go back to a divided Europe.
The future of Europe is therefore evermore in your hands: as citizens and as potential leaders.
The choice today is very clear: either we move ahead, together, as a true Union, or we go back to a dark past of division and fragmentation.
I’ m sure we give the same answer and we share the same commitment.