EUROPEAN COMMISSION
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José Manuel Durão Barroso
President of the European Commission
Keeping our collective European memory alive
Address at the European University Institute
Florence, 8 May 2014
Good afternoon everybody,
I am absolutely delighted to be with you this afternoon on the spectacular premises of
the Badia Fiesolana, the home to the European University Institute thanks to the
generosity of the Italian government.
That government has also offered in 2012 a new home to the Historical Archives of the
European Union, the most beautiful Villa Salviati, which I have just had the privilege to
visit.
And let me start by thanking all of you for your tireless efforts and your unwavering
commitment to keep alive the history of European integration.
We are meeting here on the eve of Europe Day, a day to celebrate peace and unity in
Europe and to mark the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration.
This is a day for all of us to remember that more than half a century ago we, Europeans,
decided to overcome our longstanding and bloody divisions; and to freely come together
to share a common destiny. Because indeed we, Europeans, condividiamo lo stesso
destino.
This is also a day, which has a very special connotation this year, at a time when
dramatic events in our Eastern neighbourhood are highlighting the fragility of peace in
Europe, and are challenging the values and fundamentals of a continent that was torn
apart one hundred years ago.
More than ever it is a day to reflect on our successful European journey over these last
60 years. Let's make no mistake: it has not been a natural development and we would
take it for granted at our peril. It is the result of clear vision, and steady determination
of post-World War II European leaders. And of hard work from European nations and
European institutions ever since.
And you play a central role in keeping alive the record of this unique process. Because
indeed this is a unique process based on a landmark vision, which has been perfectly
encapsulated by one of our Founding Fathers, Alcide de Gasperi, when he said that "the
future will not be built through force, nor the desire to conquer, but by the patient
application of the democratic method, the constructive spirit of agreement and by
respect for freedom."
These are words we should keep nurturing. This is a vision we should constantly strive to
live up to.
And this was the message sent by the Nobel Peace Prize Committee when it decided in
2012 to award its prestigious prize to the European Union. It was a recognition of the
achievements of an unprecedented transformation project that turned an aspiration to
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peace and unity into a political reality. And it was also an encouragement and incentive
for the future to remain true to our founding values and principles.
So let me just take a very few minutes to explain why I consider that your work in the
European Institute and in the European Archives does matter so much for Europe and its
citizens and why the Commission is proud to support you in this endeavour since its very
early days.
Firstly, we cannot let our present be deprived of any roots. We need to better
understand that each present was once an imagined future. Our present is not different.
And we cannot let it be deprived of any horizon. This means that we have to build
bridges linking the past to the future by keeping alive the history of our common roots:
a community born from the bold vision of men and women who wanted to build a
peaceful, free and united Europe. A process of European integration, which is a dynamic
one that has been able to overcome many crises over the last decades; and has always
made – and will always make - progress step-by-step. Indeed, as said in the Schuman
Declaration, "Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be
built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity".
Thus I consider it is absolutely fundamental to stimulate research into the history of
European integration and European institutions. This is why it is important to preserve
our historical archives in a single location and to promote their consultation. And I want
to seize this opportunity to pay tribute to two committed Europeans: a predecessor of
mine, Roy Jenkins and the then Secretary General of the European Commission, Emile
Noël who later on became President of the European University Institute. Both played an
instrumental role in setting up the Historical Archives of the European Union.
Since then the European Commission has remained a steady partner to the European
University Institute in the preservation and management of our historical archives. In
2011, the cooperation between the Florence Institute and the depositing institutions has
been reinforced with the signature of a new framework partnership agreement which
notably includes the digitising of the archives to make them more readily available
online. And, as you know, we are currently amending the Archives Regulation of the
European Union institutions so that we can establish a much a stronger and lasting basis
for their management.
Secondly, I'm sure you know the very famous sentence of Jean Monnet: "nothing is
possible without men: nothing is lasting without institutions"; and you are developing a
vivid and compelling illustration of these words by building up the oral memory of the
European Commission.
I am indeed very grateful for the role that the Archives are playing in the project of
drafting and recording the history of the institution, which I have had the great honour
and privilege to preside over these ten years.
As you know a first volume dedicated to the European Commission's formative years
from 1958 to 1972 has already been released in 2007. And in a few days, actually next
Wednesday, I will have the pleasure to launch in Brussels the second volume covering
the period from 1973 to 1986, which is, I must confess, especially close to my heart
because it encompasses transformative years for my native Portugal from the Carnation
revolution on 25 April 1974 to Portugal's accession to the European Union in 1986.
Part of this project is also about recording the voices and collecting the memories of the
men and women who have directly participated in the evolution of the European
Commission over these years. More than 300 interviews have now been deposited here
in the archives, where they will be made available to researchers as of today. And I am
looking forward to hearing from the conclusions of your workshop today, which was
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precisely focussed on the value of oral history for the memory of the European
Commission.
I have noticed in this room many familiar faces, some participants in this project. I see
Professors Dujardin, Bussière and Ludlow and I want to congratulate and thank them for
their wonderful work.
It is an indispensable work highlighting that the genius and foresightedness of our
forerunners were to build peace and reconciliation on the process of an ever-closer
political and economic integration. And to cement a lasting peace by creating
supranational institutions that guarantee the European general interest and European
common good like the European Commission. This should be cherished and nurtured. It
is work in progress that demands constant care.
Our predecessors showed us the way. It is now our responsibility to continue making the
path as we walk.
And finally, a last remark to say that all your work boils down to a fundamental point
that is to contribute to shaping a shared European identity by preserving and
transferring our common history.
At the time of Italy's unification, Massimo D’Azeglio famously said, "L'Italia è fatta.
Restano da fare gli italiani". More recently, as Europe was finally reunited, a great Polish
European figure, Bronisław Geremek, paraphrasing him said, "We have made Europe,
now we must make Europeans."
Both were damn right! The idea of belonging to a community of values, culture and
interests is fundamental. It is equally true that there is no contradiction between being a
patriot and being a European.
And as we celebrate this year the tenth anniversary of the so-called EU big bang
enlargement; it is highly time to fully recognize that Europe is not just institutions and
governments. Europe is more than 500 million Europeans. For these millions of
Europeans to take proper ownership of their common European destiny, we need to
keep their collective memory alive and to develop a European public space to deepen
also a European citizenship. And indeed you play a special role in this process. You help
us explain who we are as Europeans and what we stand for.
This is also why we have turned to people of culture and science to work on a "New
narrative for Europe". Indeed we need your work and talent to perpetuate our collective
memory. And we need your ideas and creativity for the European Union to realise its full
potential as a project in which every citizen is an actor.
Because as stated in the final declaration of the "New narrative for Europe" project;
Europe is indeed "a moral and political responsibility, which must be carried, not just by
institutions and politicians, but by each and every European."
The fact is that Europe is us, each of us. And each of us can make a difference in Europe
and contribute to driving positive change. In this respect the May European Elections are
an opportunity not to be missed. This is the moment for all European citizens to speak
up, to decide that they will influence their own destiny and not leave it to others to
decide for them. None of us should remain silent or indifferent when it comes to the
shaping of our future!
Just today I made a speech in Humboldt University, a speech that was a kind of bilan
and also with some ideas for the future. And among the ideas I wanted to share with
those who were listening to me in Berlin - and also now here in Florence and tomorrow
in Warsaw and then in Krakow - was this very simple idea, and now I quote what I said
in the speech: "Before we discuss the technical details of yet another treaty, we must
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answer the question: what kind of communality do we acknowledge as necessary,
indispensable, unavoidable between the capitals and Brussels? What do we recognize as
things we must decide to do together, no matter what?"
I believe this is a critical point. We are in a moment where the European Union cannot
think it can progress through implicit consent in a technocratic, bureaucratic or even
diplomatic manner. We need a democratic manner. And we need to create and reinforce
the so famous idea of the European public space, the European citizenship. We need to
win that battle and that debate. And that's why I made a strong appeal to all of those
who believe in the European project to engage. That does not mean that they agree with
everything at European level, but that they do not give up to the arguments of the
extremes, that they take the initiative and stand up for Europe.
So let me conclude by adding that it is not only about winning the minds. It is also about
winning the hearts. A distant and lukewarm attitude towards the project of European
integration could only serve to strengthen its opponents, and we know that there are
many of them who try to take advantage of the crisis as an argument against Europe's
unity.
The fact is that Europe calls for a genuine commitment, even an enthusiastic
commitment. This is exactly the kind of commitment that those, like you who study the
European project here in Florence, are displaying in your daily work and again I want to
warmly thank you for this.
I wish you all a happy Europe Day. And after this formal speech I'm ready to engage in a
much more informal discussion.
I thank you for your attention.
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