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ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT

ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE EUROPEAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT ON FRIDAY 3 APRIL, 1998

It is a particular pleasure for me to have been asked to open the National Conference of the European Youth Parliament – and to welcome those of you who have travelled from the other EU countries to be here at this event. I understand that there are over two hundred young people from all around Europe participating in what promises to be a fruitful weekend of debate and discussion. For those of you who are here for the first time, I extend a special welcome on your first visit – I hope that it will be rewarding and interesting experience and that you get an opportunity to see something of Ireland and its culture. For those who’ve been here before, I would like to extend a renewed welcome - and the wish that you have an equally enjoyable visit.

I should like at the outset to pay tribute to the hosts of the conference – Sandford Park School – a school which in this academic year – 1997/98 – is celebrating its 75th Anniversary. I would like to congratulate the Governors, the staff and the past and present pupils of this great achievement and on giving Sandford Park the high reputation that it enjoys in education today – a place of unique charm and quality – and a place that has equipped many young Irish people to take their place and to play their own role in the affairs of this country and indeed in Europe. I would also like to commend the conference organisers for their initiative in setting up and staging the conference. I know that a lot of work has gone into preparing for this session, and I am sure that it will be a tremendous success.

The Principal objective of a conference such as this is to promote the European dimension in education and to give students in the seventeen to twenty age group the opportunity to participate in a practical, positive learning experience. All of you come from countries that have parliamentary democracies – where people of all races and creeds and of all social standings come together to exercise one of the basic functions of a modern democracy – the selection of their members of parliament. It is a right that in some cases was hard won – and in all cases, is treasured as a basic right in modern civilisation. You should remember, of course, that the things that many of us take for granted – the ‘civilisation’ that we enjoy – is complex and fragile – is always in danger of fragmenting. Look, for instance, at the situation in Northern Ireland – or in the former Yugoslavia – where problems can fester – where there can be so much grief – where normal civilisation evaporates so quickly and degenerates into a world of hatred and conflict – where ‘the fittest’ is the survivor who hits the hardest. These are lessons to us all – lessons that we must be vigilant in protecting what civilisation has won for humanity.

The conference this weekend provides a wonderful opportunity for young people from different cultural backgrounds to meet and to exchange views and ideas – to thrash out different perspectives of the Europe that you know as individuals – to look at the progress that has been made in realising the ideal of Europe – and to look to where the new millennium we see us going. It allows the participants a chance to debate with and listen to what colleagues with sometimes differing views have to say – to get a better understanding of the complexities of the issues facing Europe today.

A conference such as this motivates students to communicate with each other - to work together – to respect one another and to learn from their varied cultural differences. It helps to explain the role of the European Institutions and especially, of course, the European Parliament. It stimulates an active participation in the construction of the future of Europe and contributes to a strengthening of the European cultural spirit. Participating in this session here at Sandford Park should be a positive, exciting and stimulating experience for you all.

The educational system has a vital role to play in raising awareness of Europe from an early age. With complex issues facing Europeans as we approach the twenty-first century, it is essential that all European citizens have the widest possible access to user-friendly and jargon-free information which sets out in as concise a manner as possible what the issues involve. We now have a Union of fifteen Member States and Ireland was delighted to welcome these countries, each of which is now making its own unique contribution to the Union.

The European Union, and the Communities which came before it, have brought peace and prosperity to a large part of the European continent. The benefits of the European Union, both in terms of stability and economic development, extend well beyond its borders. While the Single Market lies at the heart of the integration process, the European Union is and always has been about much more than economics. It originated from a desire to replace the age-old rivalries and bloody conflicts which had repeatedly devastated our continent with an ever closer union between the peoples of Europe. Moreover, as its cohesion and social policies in particular demonstrate, it is a Union which seeks to cherish the interests of all its regions and peoples.

The Union is not an end in itself. It is, rather, a means towards the continued and greater well-being of the peoples of Europe. The Union is not and should not be expected to be a panacea for all ills. Rather it is a logical, practical and imaginative response to the daunting challenges which face the peoples of Europe, and which we can face most effectively together. The success of the Union depends ultimately not on directives from Brussels but on harnessing - where appropriate within a common framework - the commitment and abilities of each and every one of our citizens.

Neither should the Union be thought of as a melting pot in which national identities are destined to become submerged or lost. On the contrary, it is a Union in which variety is a strength rather than an encumbrance. Differences are not denied but understood and accommodated. There is no loss of identity – of language or history. Each of us has a different story. In Europe, Ireland has found a new place – a recognition and celebration of its culture and tradition – a self-confidence won out of the respect of our fellow Europeans. Membership of the European Union has reinforced our sense of identity – and our Irishness.

The experience which you will gain here over the course of the conference will, I hope, be a fruitful one. I feel certain that it will stand to you in years to come.