Bucharest calling...

This is my first visit to the Romanian capital since the very early days of 1990. A few days after the execution of Ceaucescu and his wife. And thereby the violent fall of the very hard dictatorship. I was here with a European Commissioner, who wanted to be one of the first from the democratic world to come and meet the new leaders. A VERY tense situation in those days: tanks in the streets, soldiers with machine guns all over, also in the offices in the ministries, etc.

Today I am visiting a NATO country. And a country which before long will also find its natural place in the European Union. What an amazing development in just 15 years.

But all the work has - of course - not been done yet. Much lies ahead. In infrastructure. In reforms in the countryside. In the social policy. In the legal system. In the determined fight against corruption. As a visiting European Commissioner said the other day to his Romanian hosts: "You have adopted a lot of the necessary legislation. Now you also have to implement it. And with determination".

The media are of great importance in all democracies - and in particular in new democracies. It is good to see that the government here has now introduced a range of very important improvements in this area. Such as removing attacks on the activities of journalists from the criminal legislation to normal civil rules of responsability. And such as making it very transparent and based on public calls for tender, where state institutions place their advertizing - avoiding that political motives play an important role as until recently. More is - and has - to come.

My fundamental attitude is that we all have to support these democratic developments in Romania. Yes, there are problems. Of course. But this is a further reason to give our support. And to accept them as a full member of our European cooperation. With all the rights AND the obligations it brings. Romania is an old European country with its own history, traditions and culture. It contributes to the fascinating European family in its own way. We - who happen at the moment to be better off - HAVE to support them. In solidarity. And certainly also in our own interest. Come back here in 10 years. And you will be amazed.

But I intend to come back long before that!

Turkish delight

Turkey is again very much on the European agenda. And rightly so. Turkey is a European country. Consequently, it has the possibility to become a member of the EU. That is why EU accepted the country as a candidate for membership already in 1999. And that is why negotiations about it have started this week.

But as always in political discussions a range of misunderstandings and a dramatic ignorance play a key role in the ongoing debate.

"But Turkey must fullfil ALL the conditions", say many with a sceptical mind. Yes, of course, is the answer. This is an unconditional condition - like in all negotiations on membership. It is Turkey which applies for membership. Not the EU which applies for membership in Turkey. Therefore, she has to fulfill all conditions. Everybody knows that this will take years - but everybody with just some knowledge of the facts also knows that Turkey has made a LOT of progress over the last few years.

"The Turks will come and take all our jobs" is another complaint. This argument reminds me very much of the anti-EU argument in 1972, when the anti-marketeers said that Denmark would be invaded by a lot of people from Sicily, if we became a member. I haven't seen any yet! But more seriously: The day Turkey is ready to become a member it has developed so much, also economically, that there will without doubt be lots of work for them at home. And all people prefer to stay at home if possible. And by the way: all statistics show that Europe in 5-10 years time will lack millions of employees on its labour market. So the situation by then will definately be very different from the one we have today. So please don't confuse the situation then with today.

"But by accepting the Turks in the EU we will make Europe a Muslim continent" is a third anti-argument. No - absolutely not. First of all, EU and religion has nothing to do with each other. That's also why the word Christianity was not mentioned in the final draft Constitution - despite the debate. Secondly, we already have a lot of Muslims in the present EU. Often at our own invitation years back. This has not made us Islamic. And thirdly, also in Turkey there is (since 1923) a sharp distinction between the state and religion. This has been followed by all Turkish governments. Why shouldn't they also follow this policy inside the EU.

These three arguments and many more are perhaps even the least important ones. My view is that it is MUCH more significant that the EU by going ahead with negotiations and at the same time going ahead with the permanent push for the necessary changes in the Turkish society ensures two crucial things:
1) that Turkey will continue on the "European road" - following and practicing European values and European policies
2) that Turkey in that way will be a very important, democratic and stable country in an unstable part of the world. Influencing its big and small neighbours to the south and to the east in a positive and European way.

If we push Turkey away from us it will be bad for Turkey. But it will be even worse for Europe!

Moving memories

It's now 15 years since Germany was re-united. But it is in a way like yesterday. I personally feel very lucky that this happened in my lifetime. Looking at TV programmes the last two evening I got the feeling that only if you have lived in that period and in particular had personal memories of the DDR, of the Berlin Wall, of all the suffering of the polulation in the DDR - then you really understand the importance of what happened. This revolution - and that is what it was - was created by a combination of very well organised citizens and very clever and skilled leaders. Not the East German leaders - they had no choice. But the leaders elsewhere. I still remember very clearly my own participation in one of the famous Monday demonstrations in the centre of Leipzig, when people shouted: Wir sind das Volk! I was there. Fantastic.

Later on I was in the European Commission personally involved in some of the concrete work of uniting Germany and in particular of making the ex-DDR a full part of the EU - almost from one day to the other. It was really history in the making.

May clever citizens and skilled leaders produce similar revolutions also in the future!