ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE TO THE SLOVENE ASSOCIATION FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
“IRELAND AND SLOVENIA : ENHANCING OUR IDENTITY IN A LARGER EUROPE”
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a particular honour and pleasure for me to address the Slovene Association for International Relations today. In a few days, Slovenia will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of its existence as an independent state, an event which followed hot on the heels of the founding of the Association itself. It is not for me to say whether this was cause and effect, but certainly the Association has accompanied Slovenia over the last ten remarkable years as it has taken its place among the free nations. I am glad to be here to pay tribute to the contribution of Ambassador Kosin, as President of the Association, and Vice-Presidents Osolnik and Bučar, in guiding the work of the Association. And let me in advance offer good wishes on your forthcoming National Day.
Slovenia has come a considerable distance on the journey towards accession to the European Union. There is of course, still a great deal of work ahead, both for the Member States and the candidate countries, including Slovenia to help us to achieve the first wave of enlargement as soon as possible but hopefully no later than 2004 when Ireland will have its next Presidency of the European Union.
In this context, I know that the recent referendum result in Ireland on the Nice Treaty has been a cause of concern to applicant countries of the Union including Slovenia. However, it should not be interpreted as a rejection of enlargement. The results do point to genuine concerns on a range of issues, but the vast majority of Irish people are committed to Ireland’s active membership of the European Union and most importantly to the Union’s enlargement. We look forward to welcoming Slovenia into the E.U.
The Irish Government intends that the matter should be resolved in a way that will respect the timetable envisaged for completion of the EU ratification process and will not in any way act as a brake on the enlargement process. I hope that my visit here sends a clear message of our intention to develop closer relations with the applicant countries prior to their accession to the Union. As a further positive step, I am pleased that the Irish Government intends to open a resident Embassy here in Slovenia later this year.
Half century ago the founders of the Union were driven by the ambition to create a solid basis for co-operation between former bitter enemies, which would prevent the war, waste and bloody mayhem which made such a nightmare of the first half of the twentieth century. They dreamed of a new generation which would grow up knowing the power and prosperity that comes from partnership instead of the pain that comes from conflict.
From its earliest days the Union has been engaged in a steady process of enlargement, a process very different from the old imperial and colonial models of invasion or domination. Ireland was, of course, part of one such phase of enlargement which took place in the early 1970’s. The widening embrace of the Union has reinforced democracy and stability in Europe as sovereign nations and sovereign peoples, each with different histories, different languages and different perspectives, worked to promote a climate of prosperity for all.
Around the European table there is a profound expectation of and entitlement to equality of respect, parity of esteem for each member state, an equality not predicated upon size, or wealth, or population but upon the seminal founding collegial ethic of the Union itself. Each sovereign state inside the European Union has its own legitimate vital national interests to pursue. At the same time membership brings with it an obligation to pursue certain of those interests within the spirit of common purpose and common endeavour on which this family of member states is founded. In its approach to EU accession, Slovenia has already gained a solid reputation as a constructive force whose future around that challenging family table is to be welcomed and warmly anticipated.
For Ireland, accession to the then European Community in 1973 offered a chance to rediscover ancient, historic ties and to grow a new set of modern vibrant relationships with contemporary Europe. But there was also a degree of concern on our part. For too long, our interaction with the external world had been experienced through the jaundiced prism of the relationship with a single dominant neighbour, Great Britain, by whom we had been unhappily colonised. The harsh legacy of that relationship had skewed our engagement with the rest of the world and over-shadowed our international relations.
From 1973, the new European context for our position in the world helped put our relations with other countries on a more even keel. A perhaps unexpected but very welcome benefit was in fact an improvement over time, in the working atmosphere of our relations with the United Kingdom. As political leaders, parliamentarians and officials got to know their colleagues through the European institutions in a less pressurised atmosphere, so the mutual respect and understanding between our two countries improved. This was a key factor in the capacity of both the Irish and British Governments, together with the political parties in Northern Ireland, to work together in formulating the Good Friday Agreement which has provided an historic opportunity for peace on the island of Ireland. Together with the British Government and the parties concerned, we are working together to ensure that the Agreement is fully implemented, and that the fundamental values of peace, human rights, political stability, and respect for differing traditions which it espouses are fully respected.
All of you here are familiar with these values, and the importance of protecting them. The European Union has been a natural and highly valued supporter of the peace process on the island of Ireland. It has provided practical financial assistance to support the cross-border and cross-community reconciliation work undertaken by courageous and far-seeing men and women. In doing so, it has proven to be a dynamic catalyst in the vital area of building healthier community relationships in Northern Ireland. Most importantly, the European Union has provided a broader context within which to explore and examine our history. Seeing ourselves against this broader landscape has allowed us to gain a new, and much needed, fresh perspective on the legacy of our past. It has given us the chance to look at the opportunities as well as the challenges around shared borders, and shown that there is a way of transforming at least some of those old barriers into new bridges.
EU membership offers an environment which encourages the development of such relationships built on trust and respect, and this dimension is at the core of what the European project is all about. The economic aspects of membership are, of course, important – the Single Market and the imminent introduction of the euro demonstrate how far along the path of a common economic journey we have travelled. But such progress, welcome as it is, is an insufficient end in itself viewed against the Union’s founding principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law. All these principles are common to the Member States and stated in language drafted by Ireland in 1996 and now included in Article 6 of the Treaty on European Union. All prospective Member States accept this; indeed, it is among the fundamental motivations for joining the Union. In the same treaty article, we find the unambiguous provision, “The Union shall respect the national identities of its Member States”. Our small nation with its still touchable raw memory of the cost of freedom, quite naturally guards its identity jealously, but our experience of membership has been that we find no difficulty in seeing ourselves as both Irish and European and indeed we are much more self-confident and assertive today in the showcasing of our identity as a result, at least partly, of the interaction with the wider world which membership has opened to us.
Europe’s greatest strength is that it is not a melting pot, where everything is reduced to a homogenised uniformity. The history of Europe over the past fifty years, in particular the history of the great adventure which is the European Union, can be compared to an unfinished symphony. This work-in-progress is developing a richer sound, with more nuances, according as new countries join the orchestra. Given its own history and geopolitical location, Slovenia has much to contribute in this regard. A small country, with a complex history, a determined population, a fierce commitment to a future free from the politics of domination or the waste of conflict and a vision that respectful partnership is the way forward, makes for a degree of spontaneous empathy between Ireland and Slovenia. Indeed, you have already concluded a term on the Security Council of the United Nations which Ireland has just been elected to and, in recent days, your international profile has been underscored by hosting the Summit Meeting between the US and Russia. Slovenia’s history and geography mean that you are also ideally placed to enrich the Union’s approach towards its neighbouring countries, as is already evident in the leading role played by Slovenia in the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe and your contribution at the Zagreb Summit which laid the foundation for the EU’s relations with the countries of the Western Balkans.
One of the aims of the Slovene Association for International Relations, upon its foundation in April 1991, was to contribute to common efforts to obtain international recognition of the sovereignty of the Republic of Slovenia. Secure in the knowledge that this has been clearly achieved, this Association is now well qualified to turn its attention to helping develop Slovenia’s contribution to the forthcoming new and critical debate on the Future of Europe. Ireland brings a voice and a history from the western margins. You bring a history and a voice from the East. The stories are different, the voices are different. When we know each other’s story and hear each other’s voice, we will know ourselves, each other and Europe much better. We wish you well in your endeavours to add your voice and through it the dreams, ambitions and genius of your people to the college of nations that is the European Union.
Thank you.