Your Excellency,
Distinguished guests and friends,
We are here at the birthplace of democracy, only some meters away from the hill of Pnyx where Pericles, politicians and philosophers were debating on how this city could be better run.
Their reflections defined the notion of democracy, what we can call “democratic civilisation”.
Even the word democracy is exactly what they left as legacy: kratos and demos – power of the people.
And this day, on the International Day of Democracy, is a reminder of this great legacy of ancient Athens.
A legacy that we must uphold, defend and serve.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me start by congratulating the New York Times for their initiative, and express my thanks for the invitation to share this event with you.
We are here today, in the midst of both a migration and security crisis.
As you all know, migration is not a new phenomenon. It is as old as mankind’s history.
– if we think of the large emigration waves to the US in the 19th and early 20th century,
– if we remember the refugee waves in Europe after the Second World War and the Yugoslav break-up.
In parallel, we have also unfortunately experienced various terrorist attacks of different natures for several decades now already
– in both Europe and the US, whether this was in Ireland or Spain, London or New York, Paris, Brussels or Ankara.
The 15th anniversary of 9/11 reminds us, however, that our world has changed in the past years.
The crisis we find ourselves in today is one in which we have started to question the very fundaments on which our democracies have been built:
– our moral values of openness and equality,
– our fundamental freedoms,
– our resilience
and most importantly: what unites us, what binds us.
Because, while we can argue that migration and terrorism
– which are very distinct – are not new phenomena, they impact the lives of all of us.
What I see in Europe, is that citizens are increasingly concerned, increasingly demand European answers, but that instead some leaders prefer to give national, or even nationalistic, inward-looking answers.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The European Union is a strong Union.
We are not weakened by the arrivals of vulnerable people seeking protection.
We are also not weakened by terrorist attacks, even when they are perpetrated by our own youth.
But what I believe can weaken us, is what comes from inside the rise of nationalism and xenophobia, the rise of dark ghosts from the past.
How can you expect that the country we find ourselves in today deals with more than 800,000 arrivals by sea in one year on its own?
How can you expect that Italy, which already has more than 120,000 arrivals so far this year, manages on its own?
And how can you expect that France or Belgium deal with the threat of radicalisation and terrorism on their own?
Obviously, you cannot.
And the European family does not.
In one year, the European Union has made enormous progress in both managing the refugee crisis but also better cooperating to fight terrorism.
But we are not there yet.
As in every family, not all the members of the European family will necessarily agree on the same issues, like or trust everyone equally, or decide to play along in the first place.
But we still are a family, and we must remain a family.
It took centuries to build it, but it can take a minute to destroy it.
And this moment must never come.
It is the moment for a strong European vision, for visionary leadership, and for strong and courageous citizens.
Ladies and gentlemen, the European Union remains the greatest political, social, cultural and economic achievement of our times.
In an increasingly globalised world, where both our strengths and our weaknesses are all interconnected, so should be our answers.
Let me turn againto the notion of democracy.
Democracy is not only a social and political legacy of Athens.
It goes far beyond the borders of this city and region.
It is a permanent struggle and goal for the whole world.
Democracy is respect – for fundamental rights such as free speech, freedom of religion, equality between men and women.
Democracy is tolerance – of those we do not agree with or those that are different from us.
Democracy in politics is the art of synthesis.
But democracy should not be taken for granted.
It is not a given, and must be defended.
In Europe today, external and internal conflicts and diversities are making our Union more fragile.
But now is the moment to find strength and unity in those diversities – Whether they are local, national or global.
Ladies and gentlemen,
This international Forum for Democracy in Athens provides us with an opportunity to stand in front of the challenging questions and problems that the global democracy is confronted with.
This is a call on us, Europeans, to take up our responsibilities to defend the European institutions.
I refer to these big European challenges, which are the main issues of my portfolio in the European Commission, because they are exactly the issues that extremists and populist movements exploit today.
They attempt to put in doubt our democratic values and to turn Europe back to its dark pages of its recent history.
Because to doubt Europe, would be to doubt democracy itself.
But let me assure you that Europe has the strength to face these challenges by providing solutions to the complex issues of migration and security, without making concessions on our basic democratic values and principles.
The democracy of Europe and the European democracies are strongly interlinked, and through this crisis our Union will emerge stronger and our democracy more resilient.