Speech by President of the Republic at a ceremony marking the tenth anniversary of German reunification in Berlin on 2.10.2000

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Let me begin by thanking Werkstatt Deutschland for inviting me to attend this magnificent festive occasion. It is a great honour to speak, from a Finnish perspective, on this the tenth anniversary of a major turning point in the history of Germany and Europe.

Building peace after the Second World War was an enormous challenge for Europe, and one that has remained to this day. One generation did the work of reconstruction in an era when new conflicts were beginning to divide our continent. The task that the next had to tackle was that of demolishing the walls of the Cold War. Now our goal is to integrate all of the peoples of Europe on a basis of common security and collectively-accepted principles, whilst respecting the special features of every national culture.

No part of Europe experienced reconstruction and felt the Cold War and its ending as tangibly and painfully as did Berlin. Here, too, a sense of the inevitability of Europe´s growing together is unlike anything that one feels in most other EU capitals.

It is easy for a Finn to understand the Berliners´ sentiments. We, too, lived in the constricting pressures of the Cold War for decades until we found a new role for ourselves in a Europe that is no longer divided.

In a Europe recovering from a world war, the overriding task of every national government was to ensure the prosperity and stability of its own people. Parallel to this, however, a positive interdependence was being created through the establishment in 1949 of the Council of Europe and the beginning a couple of years later of the gradual building of the European Communities.

From its inception, the Council of Europe concentrated on fundamental questions of eradicating the causes of war. The cornerstones were the rule of law, democracy and respect for human rights. In addition to these things, there was a need for the beneficial influence that prosperity can have in strengthening stability. Economic growth was essential, but not enough on its own; there was also a need - and there still is - to share the fruits fairly.

The more time elapsed after the reconstruction period had ended, the more distressing the division of Europe began to feel. Many experts on international politics argued that we ought to accept the situation, because a change was not possible. The status quo would guarantee peace and protect us from a possibly even more terrible third world war, a nuclear holocaust. But ought the world to be like that: divided between Them and Us?

I was young in the sixties and I remember how we wanted to get to know others. People in Africa, Asia and South America, but also - which was the most difficult - in our own continent. Thousands and thousands of people wanted the same both here in Europe and in the United States and the Soviet Union. The dream of a shared world and a shared humanity was growing again.

That dream may not have been realised as such, but people did set in train a development that led to the collapse of the Cold War´s foundations. It may be that people as such are neither better nor more progressive than the governments of their countries. Often, however, civil society has been the foundation on which a new democracy comes into being or an old one is rejuvenated. Daring to engage in discussion or other interaction with an individual or group makes it easier to understand others and can lead to new creative cooperation.

When he addressed European foreign ministers at the opening session of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe in 1973, my predecessor Urho Kekkonen said that "Security is not a matter of erecting a fence, but rather of opening a door." Yet he could hardly have guessed how soon the process that began with this dialogue would lead to a crumbling of the old structures and the birth of a new Europe. Genuine interaction between people cut the ground from under political systems that were founded on mendacity.

Civic action and the civilian courage that people demonstrated in the former GDR were of key importance in the process that led to the reunification of Germany. The non-violent resistance of the civil rights movement spread from Leipzig´s Nikolai Church to the whole country and eventually led to the GDR´s "peaceful revolution".

The fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany were dramatic events for the continent as a whole. The reunification of Germany was more than anything else a triumph of German democracy.
The Cold War period taught us that there is a lot more to real peace and security than merely the absence of war. Security can not be built by means of strong borders and mighty armies; instead, and above all, security flows from strengthening democracy, human rights, the rule of law and social justice. We may need weapons to stop violence, but we have an even greater need for broad cooperation in civilian life to build peace. Building security in people´s everyday lives is the best insurance for peace and stability, and against war.

Here we still have a lot of work to do. Racism and xenophobia are regrettably real threats in today´s Europe. Millions of women are suffering violence both on the streets and in their homes. Unemployment remains a reality and poverty has not been banished from even the wealthiest country on our continent.

We in Europe have also learnt that democracy is more than just free and fair elections. To implement a modern democracy and human rights in full we need not only elections, but also a broad civil society. The trade-union movement, women´s and youth organisations, consumer bodies and environmental protection are all areas in which we need the contributions of large numbers of citizens to supplement intergovernmental work. This need is especially strong in the countries of Eastern and Central Europe as they strive to build democracy.

The collapse of communism made room for democracy, human rights, the rule of law and free enterprise. But the new freedom also brings new challenges. Combining personal liberty with caring for others and respecting the environment is a major challenge for us all.
Radical changes make people yearn for something old that, in my view, never actually existed in the way they believe it did. The "good old days" were not so good for everyone. Life today still has its shortcoming, but we are on the right course.

We need each other more and more to make the world we share a better place. The enlargement of first the Council of Europe and now the European Union is part of this cooperation - this growing together - that is making our continent more stable, more prosperous and more secure.

EU enlargement is at the present moment the most important and most concrete means of promoting stability, security and wellbeing in Europe. The further we progress in the enlargement negotiations, the more parties there are who feel anxiety about the risks that enlargement may cause. Political decision makers must take these concerns seriously and ensure that the social and economic costs of enlargement are shared fairly. It would pay us to make a strong effort, because now we have a historic opportunity to remove dividing lines from Europe - in other words, a chance to really grow together.
The European Union must also develop its cooperation with its close neighbours. We must not turn inwards; we must look outwards. The stability and wellbeing of the areas surrounding us are our own stability and wellbeing.

It is sad that war is still being waged in the Balkans, over fifty years after the end of the Second World War. We must rally our strengths to build peace. What is needed above all is a democratic Serbia. A long step in that direction was taken in the elections held a week ago. Peace and security are indivisible; peace in Europe is the business of all Europeans.

Nor does the world end with Europe. Many things, such as threats to the environment, the spread of infectious diseases and the interdependence of economies, have awakened us to the realisation that we are all living in a global village.

The accelerating pace of globalisation calls for cooperation to defend the interests of people and nature - to achieve a new balance. This was a central theme at the UN Millennium Summit in the beginning of September. We must translate the spirit of cooperation that set the tone for the summit into practical action to benefit people and the environment.

The interests of individuals and of the community are realised only if solutions are oriented towards each and every member of the community being able to cope and succeed now and in the future. This applies on every level of community - be it the family, the village, the region, the nation or the whole world. To be able to wield influence globally, one has to use it on the local level as well. We must see the whole world and all of the world´s peoples as our own community. Real prosperity does not come from exploiting others, but rather from caring about them.

The challenge today is to resist racism and xenophobia. Intolerant people, some of whom will always be with us, are not actually the biggest problem. What really matters is that the rest of us - the majority - have the courage to stand up and defend others who are menaced. Let us, too, show the same courage as those who gathered in the Nikolaikirche.