Ladies and Gentlemen! Let me start by saying how delighted I am to be able to address a gathering of so many outstanding politicians here, in the heart of Europe, in the European Parliament. I have been here several times before in the capacity of the President of Poland. Today I stand before you just as a European citizen, a former politician who has dedicated part of his political life to the matter of tolerance and reconciliation. I am pleased that these efforts brought me again here to speak to this audience. Europe is becoming increasingly diverse and multicultural. Western Europe shares this experience for long decades, we from the new member states are just starting to experience it stronger. But all of European citizens have still to learn how to cope with that challenge. And it is obvious, that the most certain and most effective fundament that allows both human groups of various cultures as well as different individuals to coexist with one another is tolerance. Tolerance, that is respecting the right to be different, the right to one’s own nationality, customs, language, faith or views continues to be a valuable stance. It ensures harmonious coexistence, especially in the situations when people of different nationalities and cultures meet in the same territory, cooperating in furthering common economic or social goals, as in our Union. As it has put the great Pole, Pope John Paul II “the one and the another…. so never the one against the other.” There is no doubt that such a model requires an active virtue of tolerance. As to be tolerant does not merely mean to tolerate, bear other people, their different culture or religion. Tolerance is something more. It is friendly opening up to the different, it is getting interested in the world, curiously, but also tactfully. We must not allow true tolerance to be replaced with casual indifference and passivity. This passivity has after all various faces. One of them is the consent to evil. History has taught us that not only immediate evil, but also passivity and indifference towards evil is a moral offence. We remember well – on the 70th Anniversary of the Kristallnacht – what has happened in Europe just few decades ago. We all know what were the results of indulgency for the criminal march of fascism on the part of democratic countries and societies. We can only imagine how many lives would have been saved if the world had adamantly stood up to fascism in time. Today we can see more clearly than before what dangers can be brought about by adopting a permissive attitude towards troubling and pathological phenomena, that in the future might become sources of unpredictable conflicts and tragedies. We must not be indulgent to hot spots where hatred, xenophobia and racism emerge. We must not ignore the fact that young generations do not know what intolerance can lead to and who do not know what AuschwitzBrikenau was about. And we must not remain indifferent to the phenomena which are the breeding ground for the most dangerous plague of our times, that is terrorism. Ladies and gentleman, Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said, and I quote: “Those who desire to treat politics and morals separately will never understand anything of either of them.” I have always did my utmost to be a honest politician. And an honest politician can summon his courage to say unpleasant things. But in so doing he will not strike up the pose of a preacher. He will pinpoint a problem – and offer a solution instead. And this is exactly what the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation - a new European NGO – is going to work on. The Council which I am honored to chair gathers distinguished representatives of the civic society in Europe. Among us are such personalities as Vaclav Havel, Goran Persson, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Jose Maria Aznar. The members of the ECTR have all proven
with their past and current activities the importance of remembering the past, reconciling nations, promoting tolerance, combating racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia today in Europe. Referring to the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation I would like to come back to that what Moshe Kantor said just a few minutes, namely that what we need today is to create firewalls that withstand the fading memory. There could be many such firewalls. Education, legislation, economic and social development, freedom of speech, strengthening solidarity and the feeling of security. And – last but not least - reconciliation between peoples and nations, a process that still has a long way to go on the European continent, especially in its Eastern part and in the Western Balkans. The European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation wants to contribute to the efforts of establishing such firewalls. One of these concrete proposals is the draft of a European Framework Convention On Promoting Tolerance And Combating Intolerance. Some would say – why do we need a new legal act on Tolerance. In fact, a number of documents have been adopted in the past dealing with specific forms of intolerance, mainly relating to racial bias. However, there is no convention document to cover all forms of intolerance. This constitutes a deficiency in international humanitarian law, a deficiency of our European legal basis. The necessity of such a document is clearly evidenced by the escalating manifestations of intolerance in the past decades and their increasing threat to society. The Framework Convention is designed to give definitions of tolerance and intolerance, reveal the dangers of religious and racial intolerance, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, nationalism and other forms of extremism, and direct the introduction of national legislation to punish every act of intolerance. The Framework Convention goes beyond calls to fight intolerance and aims to create a system for fostering tolerance based on the cultural dialogue. Another projected initiative of the ECTR provides for monitoring the level of tolerance in European states with periodical publication of an White Paper on Tolerance. Many reports in Europe and beyond generally focused on emphasizing negative facts of intolerance. Rightly, but not sufficient enough. In contrast, our White Paper will emphasize the positive experiences and a spirit of competitiveness in promoting tolerance. It will provide a platform for politicians, scholars and members of society to express their attitudes to pending or eventual challenges and suggest ideas for public discussion. It will be used to promote Tolerance, proliferate it, give inspiration and provide good examples for all institutions and NGO’s in Europe. Both documents will be available for you after our event here is finished.
Ladies and Gentleman, It is obvious that official political declarations, even the most beautifully sounding ones do not erase with a single signature or vote the prejudices, animosities and grievances accumulated in human minds. As a distinguished philosopher Martin Buber wrote: the true and fulfilled present – exists only with the existence of the presence, encounter, relationship. Hence, I believe that the role of politicians is to overcome barriers and to show the ways. Therefore I call on you, European Parliamentarians to bear a special responsibility for promoting Tolerance by concrete means and actions, and to support all initiatives in this regards, also the adoption of a European Convention on Tolerance. And I am sure that thanks to our solidarity and common action we will prevail in building a European house of our dreams
These are the ways along which in the future, often for long years a difficult and complex process of reconciliation will be going on. An honest politician will never sacrifice his principles on the altar of his self-interest. For he understands that being in breach of principles raises threats to society, the state and politics as such. Human rights and freedom of speech are the foundation on which democracy is built. He who would be prepared to put them on hold for some imaginary gains today, tomorrow would see for himself how unpleasant it is to be denied these comforts. In other words, honest politicians are those we can argue with but who – and we have no doubt about it – are ready to put up a fight in defence of freedom and civil rights. The fundamental duty of people, of all of us is to develop in ourselves and cherish the ability to cooperate, to extend openness towards other cultures, and tolerance to different opinions and arguments. Even when they fundamentally differ from ours, they contain elements that enrich the way we view and comprehend the world. They strengthen our understanding for neighbours, with whom we want to live in peace. But we are also obliged, especially those of us who are in charge of public matters, to constantly care about security. It is created by people’s migrations that are becoming the mark of the present time. In such a case a need for all of us to learn the art of tolerance and peaceful coexistence is getting even stronger. We must be able to live together with mutual respect for each other’s identity. To live together – as we are linked more and more by the global community. With mutual respect – as the richness of this community is determined by its diversity. We must protect the right of individuals and human groups to be different, diverse, to be independent. We all know what were the results of indulgency for the criminal march of fascism on the part of democratic countries and societies. We can only imagine how many lives would have been saved if the world had adamantly stood up to fascism in time. Today we know, thanks to our historical experiences, that peace and tolerance have to be strengthened in contemporary world by the system of security. It is the inseparable, second side of peace and cooperation. We are guided by this idea in today’s Polish policy, which is proved in our involvement in the stabilization mission in Iraq. Security of our families, our close ones, security of their homes and places of work. And also security of nations, states, and finally – of the whole international community. This makes us face and will make us face very difficult choices. This is the choice of a path that is narrow, but necessary to be found, the path between the defence of freedom and the requirements of security. These are political choices that also become moral ones. Politics is frequently defined as art of solving concrete problems in a concrete situation and of responding appropriately to challenges of the time. Politicians are usually judged by how quick, accurate, and also how clear to the general public their decisions and actions are. It also the political instinct that brought me today here together with Moshe Kantor and other leaders who are members of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation. The time of crumbling financial markets and slowing economies is What attitudes and values may encourage this process?
It is under these circumstances that once again the relationship between the government and the governed is put to the test. The governed are watching us closely – which is good because the process of integration will be complete only when accompanied by mutual trust displayed by states, as well as the governments and the governed of the countries concerned. We now have an opportunity to provide practical evidence to prove there is such thing as honest politics.
It is true that preserving unity among states which respect diversity is not easy: in the face of threats it becomes, however, indispensable. A recipe for the relations in the family of democratic states may be found in the understanding of a colossa l difference between “the same” and “together”.
We do not have to think and speak in the same manner. We should, nevertheless, decide and act together. But first and foremost: not necessarily saying the same things, we should talk to one another: maintain a dialogue.
The European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation is a new nongovernmental organization dedicated to the promotion of tolerance in Europe . The purpose of the ECTR is to provide a forum for discussion, reflection and forward thinking on matters of European human rights policy in general, and promotion of tolerance in particular. It is obvious that official political declarations, even the most beautifully sounding ones do not erase with a single signature or vote the prejudices, animosities and grievances accumulated in human minds. As a distinguished philosopher, an honorary doctor of this Academy, Martin Buber wrote: the true and fulfilled present – exists only with the existence of the presence, encounter, relationship. Hence, I believe that the role of politicians is to overcome barriers and to show the ways. These are the ways along which in the future, often for long years a difficult and complex process of reconciliation will be going on.
The matters discussed at this conference are extremely complicated, and of immense importance for social life. . On the other hand, a politician need not be a dreamer oblivious of reality. In the words of the Polish philosopher Tadeusz Kotarbiński, he should be a reliable curator (opiekun spolegliwy). In other words, he must be someone you can trust because he has demonstrated that he deserves to be trusted. And someone you can count on – both in everyday life and in crisis. For we can be sure he will never fail and will do what is right: He will do his duty or deliver on his promise. But here is the catch: it is devoid of honesty not only in relation to political opponents, but to one's own electorate as well.
An honest politician will never sacrifice his principles on the altar of his self-interest. For he understands that being in breach of principles raises threats to society, the state and politics as such. Human rights and freedom of speech are the foundation on which democracy is built. He who would be prepared to put them on hold for some imaginary gains today, tomorrow would see for himself how unpleasant it is to be denied these comforts. In other words, honest politicians are those we can argue with but who – and we have no doubt about it – are ready to put up a fight in defence of freedom and civil rights.
It is under these circumstances that once again the relationship between the government and the governed is put to the test. The governed are watching us closely – which is good because the process of integration will be complete only when accompanied by mutual trust displayed by states, as well as the governments and the governed of the countries concerned. We now have an opportunity to provide practical evidence to prove there is such thing as honest politics. Ladies and Gentlemen! I have been trying to highlight the linkage between morality and politics. But I am a political practitioner first and foremost, active here and now, in Poland and in Europe, which is why I must touch upon one more aspect of this problem. No theory, no analysis, nothing can free a politician from his – or her – everyday choices, rounds of heart-searching, from decision-making, and from troubling his own conscience with questions about what is and what is not honesty. While accepting the role of a politician, one willingly shoulders this burden, or this privilege, if you like. Ladies and Gentlemen! I wish you – and, indeed, all European politicians – that the decisions you take and choices you make go down well with your conscience, and invariably meet social expectations. Thank you for your attention