Freedom Award “Freedom Award” of the Atlantic Council given to Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former President of Poland and Chairman of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation.
Ladies and Gentleman,
I am greatly honored by this Award. It is truly a highlight in my political life. Honestly I feel really moved and deeply obliged to all these people and institutions that were behind this decision. First of all I would like to thank for all these nice words about me.
But I have to admit that hearing all these words I was a bit confused. On the one hand we had a list of my achievements from my political life, a reliably presented history and balanced evaluation of the highlights of my Presidency. On the other hand, hearing all these words I get the impression that a certain era is about to finish. That a certain period of time is coming to an end, the time that we can really be proud of, which as if shows us the life horizon. But I would like to emphasize, dear friends, that I am still alive, I haven’t finished, my work is on! I’ve got plans, ideas, I still want to change the world for better!
We are in Wrocław – a city of Noble Prize Winners, a city of various cultures, a symbol of the XXth century changes. At the same time a city with a future, which is not only going to base on its past glory but is making grand plans. It is obliging. Where else but here we should criticize the modern world? To think over its prospects and alternatives?
And still, there is a place for further reflection; we have achieved so much, we broadened the boundaries of freedom, strengthen democracy and security, we have even handled the world’s financial and economic crisis – but truly we have a serious problem: we need new aims and new perspectives. We need to go beyond current goals, set by contemporary political and economic reality. We need a policy which is not only reactive to sudden problems, but which can point to new opportunities, discover new lands, which are worth exploring – even against strong winds and currents.
One would say that it was easier thirty years ago. The aims were obvious. But after the birth of Solidarity, the collapse of communism and the Iron Curtin, enlarging of NATO and the EU, when it comes to the future nothing is that obvious. True, we have a new big challenge called the “War on Terrorism”, we lag behind with the unsolved global problems: poverty, diseases, local wars, failed states.
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Freedom Award No doubts, these are all important issues; we can even say , our daily duties. But still left with one basic question: we are we going? What should our world look like in 20, 30, 50 years’ time? I think this should be the major intellectual and political challenge. Agendas are not enough, we need a vision. And technocrats are not suited to deliver such a vision, they just follow the bureaucratic momentum. We can’t get stuck on calculated analysis and recommendations, we have to be brave enough to go beyond the boundaries of today imagination, as Winston Churchill did on the 19 th of September 1946 at the University of Zurich saying the famous words “Let Europe arise!”, calling the European public to establish the “United States of Europe”, resembling the United States of America.
Ladies and Gentleman,
today I want to follow Churchill idea and go further. I propose, that we deliberate together on the idea which I would give a working title of a “Transatlantic Union”. I am aware, that in history – as a poet says – “nothing happens twice” and we can’t exactly repeat that experience. I won’t give you a ready recipe how to join the United States and Europe institutionally. Would it be in the beginning only the United States and European Union? Or where there would be the capital city? And what would be the role of NATO? The questions never end. What I am doing is establishing a new way of thinking, common reflection how to develop and expand the heritage of the transatlantic cooperation. Which is proving its value, bringing peace to the world.
I don’t want to shock, I don’t feel like a political explorer. But my life’s motto remains “Let’s choose the Future!”. It was also a motto of my Presidency. Today I think it is also our duty. Because our history and the experience of two totalitarian systems in Europe showed that empty space are always filled by gloomy ideologies leading human kind to astray. And even today we can see how deep are the layers of hate, xenophobia, and discrimination among nations of Europe. We shall not allow them to flourish, we shall not let us be overtaken by haunted political charlatans. Let us build for us and future generations the world of peace, collaboration, solidarity and tolerance.
Ladies and Gentleman,
Coming back to this Freedom Award, which I have received to today, I would like to thank both Ambassadors – Lee Feinstein and Robert Kupiecki for hosting today’s dinner. I am also grateful to all these who worked with me on our roads to freedom, were with me in the Round Table Talks in Poland or Ukraine, composed the Constitution, prepared the NATO and EU membership. And with a great sense of emotion I would like to recall the memory of two personalities of special importance to, who aren’t with us any more: Pope John Paul II and Bronislaw Geremek. 2
Freedom Award Dear Friends, freedom is a notion which makes the world happy and brings sense to our living. It is worth living, it is worth fighting for. It is worth being among people, who freedom love and admire.
And want to assure you that we -in Europe and America- can master the challenges of freedom. But only together.
Thank you for your attention.
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