By Clive Rumbold
The commemoration of the 9th of May 1950 gives us an important opportunity to reflect on our past, and to look forward to our future together.
On this day in 1950, Robert Schuman proposed joint control of the industries that had powered devastating wars in Europe and the world.
In 1950, war was still fresh, its moral and physical destruction still tangible.
But the countries that had faced each other across the battlefield agreed to tie their resources together, so that they could tie their futures together in a Union of peace, stability and prosperity.
Over the past 64 years, the history of Europe has done justice to that courage and vision.
The Union that began with 6 states and coal and steel now extends to 28 states and inspires our work together on everything from roads to satellites, from the environment to universities, from culture to foreign policy.
Over the past 64 years, the expansion of our cooperation to other states and areas of the world has extended stability and strengthened peace.
Our Union is a unique effort to grow together. The Nobel Peace Prize Committee commended the work of the EU in fostering what it called a “fraternity of nations”.
We are proud of what we have built together. But we have done this by remaining committed to fundamental values: freedom, democracy and human rights, bound together and protected by the rule of law.
These achievements have not come easy. Nor are they easy to maintain and strengthen. They require both determination to make progress and determination to do so together. They require both resolute action and dialogue.
There are many examples of the EU putting this principle into action. We all witnessed the summits and discussions within the EU on the economic and financial crisis, or outside it on the Iranian nuclear program, or on relations between Pristina and Belgrade.
Resolute action combined with dialogue got results. The EU is recovering from the crisis and the euro has not been lost; in November last year, under the leadership of Baroness Ashton, an interim agreement was achieved with Iran on its nuclear programme; under EU leadership again, Pristina and Belgrade are on a path of cooperation.
All these critical situations progressed towards a solution thanks a determination to address them combined with a realisation that we could only address them successfully by doing so together.
This is the core of the European Union – the realisation that we can live in peace, we can build prosperity, we can improve lives inside and outside the union better if we do it together.
Albania’s modernization and EU integration requires the same kind of constructive cooperation – the exercise of resolute will to reform, and doing so together to create durable change.
It is precisely that durability that the EU’s Member States asked for in December 2013, and it is precisely that durability that they will look for in June.
That means resolute and sustained action to strengthen the rule of law. That means constructive cooperation on the country’s reform agenda.
Now, I am no ballet expert. But I am a big fan of the work of Mr. Preljocaj. I particularly admire how together with ballet companies from across the world, and together with dancers each contributing their own unique skills, he creates a result that is much more than the sum of its parts.
I would like to conclude by offering our sincere thanks to the Minister of Culture and to the Ambassador of France for making tonight’s ballet possible together with the EU Delegation.
The strength and unity of the performance we are about to witness will speak for itself, and is therefore, I believe, a fitting way to celebrate the founding of our European Union.
These were the remarks the Charg顤’Affaires a.i. of the Delegation of the European Union to Albania Clive Rumbold made on the occasion of Europe Day, May 9, at the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet before the performance by Albanian-French choreographer Angelin Prelocaj.
