OneEurope 1/93 East-West Magazine HOW TO BUILD THE ...

European plurality. In a political or economical sense it is of no interest whether we are German,
Czech, Catholic or Protestant, Serb or Croat. Important is how we contribute to the future
development of human society. Our humankind is not abstract. We can serve our society only
with our explicit individuality, with our German-being, Czech-being, believe or non believe, with
our opinion and our work that characterises us.
Concerning the political area the question arises whether the European culture expands towards
the east or whether the post communistic crisis penetrates Western Europe in return. Refugees
for example don't just represent a humanitarian problem. Their arrival in West-German towns
and villages changes structures lived for hundreds of years, they evoke a fear of foreigners,
racism, hatred of all kinds and hereby endanger the seemingly settled democracy. The danger
was recently named this way: Will the east be bruxellised or will the West be balkanised? This
sentence puts it in the point: In my opinion the entire strategy of European security depends on
what extent the democratic zone and the potential prosperity are able to spread.
If we recall how many horrible events have taken place in the Soviet Union, where besides
communism the last of the colonial empires fell apart, then I come to the conclusion that the
present unstable conditions are in truth better than one could expect. I am convinced that
investing in a growing democracy is worth it as well as supporting the propositions of its possible
offspring wherever necessary. That includes the economy in particular, but also further
development in communication, telecommunication and education to put the people in the post
communistic countries quickly onto their own feet - not demoralising donations but offering hope
to those who want to reach for it is required.
For the taxpayer this comes a thousand times cheaper than forty years of cold war. It is an
impossible task to calculate the costs for a defence against the consequences of a new downfall,
which would not necessarily lead to communism, but at least to one sort or the other of
authoritarian dictatorship, not to speak of a new economical disaster of which the west would
protect itself by lowering a curtain once again. If we want to avoid new curtains and dangerous
separations then it must be the interest of the progressive countries to dedicate themselves to the
arising problems with the same intensity as formerly invested into the long and middle ranged
missiles. We would save more than by the American retreat. And there would not be any profit if
one insisted for nostalgic reasons on the return of areas and possessions.[...]
Starting form the moment I was sworn into office I set my main goal in tying our country as quickly
as possible to the sphere of European culture to which it had belonged for thousands of years. I
advocated the Pentagonale which linked in 1990 for the first time the NATO, the still existing
Warsaw Pact and the neutral countries of middle and southern Europe. The tragic events in
Yugoslavia dimmed its activities. I supported the building of a middle European troika as a
stabilising factor and I hope the segregation of Czechoslovakia will not cause it to weaken but to
give even more reason for co-operation of the four. I brought myself in on building a system of cooperation
between old and new institutions including a certain partition of roles.
The charter of Paris towards a new Europe has been a success for all of us. Now it is to be
materialised and pushed forward. I believe that after some confusion the process of European
integration, which represents the main force in the overall European unification - not just in
economic terms - will awake again. Possibly the citizens of the community of the twelve don't
realize their positive effect on conflicts in the post communistic world. I take the freedom to
postulate the thesis that besides other influences the desire for integration into the European
society has led to a peaceful separation of the former CSFR. No politician in these countries can
allow himself to overstep certain borders and hence destroy the perspective of taking part in the
integration process.
The year of 1992 has been a year of superpessimism. Nevertheless I regard the saying "doomed
to success by desperation" as distorted. The consciousness of a necessity for success shows an
awareness for responsibility. Clinton's victory in America displays the need of the people to have
a "new frontier". We in Europe are in necessity of it, too. Those huge territories in Europe's centre
and its east pose a great challenge for the European civilisation. For the first time in history
Europe has got the chance to unify not by expansionism and the demand for hegemony of a
religion, a people or an ideology but in a democracy to everyone's benefit. But: this is only a
chance. A chance can only be made real through inventiveness, courage and the will to take
action. Europe never lacked any of these qualities. This is why I remain an optimist.