European Union, 2012

The advance of democracy has taken place in

successive waves since the United Nations was created.

That advance has experienced a new acceleration,

which we all can all welcome. Without underestimating

the difficulties and problems encountered elsewhere, I am thinking especially of the positive developments in

Myanmar and Somalia and of the young democracies

throughout the world, such as Timor-Leste.

But it is, of course, the transformations under way

in the Arab world that are foremost in my mind today.

When these historic changes swept through the

Arab world, they stirred a mixture of deep emotions

in those watching, both within the region and beyond.

There was fear of bloodshed, regional instability and

of a rise of extremism, and uncertainty about what

was yet to come. But, overwhelmingly, the world

looked on with solidarity, understanding and hope.

We in Europe — geographically so close and with our

societies so deeply involved with those in the countries

experiencing these upheavals — were also acutely

aware that the changes and the risks and opportunities

that lay ahead would directly affect us as neighbours.

Of course, expectations were high. It was tempting

to read the events in Tunis or Cairo as the opening pages

of a fairy tale. But this is the book of history. It contains

dark pages too, some of them tragically being written

at this very moment. We are bound by a simple truth:

achieving lasting change takes time. New democratic

institutions do not run smoothly as if by magic. Turning

economies around and creating jobs for millions of

young men and women are not things that happen at the

wave of a wand. Deep tensions do not suddenly dissolve

once a dictator has gone.

The long path of transition lies ahead. There will

undoubtedly be disappointments along the way. There

will be wrong turns, hurdles and setbacks. But I firmly

believe that despite the difficulties, the momentum is

heading in the right direction and there is no going

back. Whatever the future brings, the Arab Spring will

remain a turning point. The movement is irreversible.

Once the voices of the people have been set free — an

unforgettable experience for all those who had never

been heard before — those voices cannot be silenced.

It is the responsibility of each country to chart its

own course and to do justice to the aspirations of its

people. The European Union is committed to staying by

their side every step along the way. We are in it for the

long run. I want to reaffirm that we still believe in the

message of the Arab Spring.

Europeans are well placed to recognize that

political change is not painless and does not happen overnight. We know about long transitions. When

European integration first started, within my lifetime,

a majority of the countries that are now members

were not yet democracies. For us, a transition of such

magnitude should not be judged by its speed but by its

direction and by progress achieved through countless

steps forward.

The starting point is free and fair elections. We

therefore commend the achievements of Tunisia, Libya,

Egypt and other countries in successfully organizing

democratic elections, in which many citizens voted

freely for the very first time in their lives — elections

for which we were happy to lend expertise to national

and local authorities.

In order to ultimately bring jobs, social justice and

freedom of expression to all, this gigantic democratic

process will have to overcome, every single day,

the obstacles of corruption, red tape and economic

privileges and maintain the political determination to

ensure inclusiveness. It is an important effort, to which

many parties are contributing. For our part, across the

region we offer advice to entrepreneurs and officials,

help train judges and police and support journalists and

civil society groups.

In our experience, societies are stronger when

women are fully able to take part in the political and

economic lives of their countries, when their voices

are heard and their choices respected. There may be

temptations, once power is gained, to refuse to grant to

some the rights that until recently were withheld from

all. But a democracy can flourish only when it gives all

its people — whatever their gender, religion, language

or ethnic identity — an equal say and equal rights,

guaranteed in law and in practice.

Finally, neighbours can achieve more when they

work together. That is why we share experience from

our own European union on issues such as connecting

energy networks and removing regional obstacles to

trade.

Bringing together and reconciling former enemies

in a common desire for peace, democracy and

prosperity has been one of the European Union’s great

achievements. Respect, tolerance and non-violence

are the core values, without which living together

harmoniously is not possible. These are fragile values;

sustaining them requires constant attention, especially

in a global digital world in which messages of all kinds

can spread faster than ever and can easily be exploited. Tolerance is the ability to withstand criticism, to

offer dialogue, to refrain from violence. As such, it

shows self-confidence. At the same time, respect for

the faith and beliefs of others is a key value for living

together. Tolerance and respect acquire their full

meaning in an open society that protects freedom of

expression. Each and every one of us in this Hall has a

responsibility to defend and promote tolerance in and

between our countries, as well as respect. Violence

and killing, such as that of United States Ambassador

Christopher Stevens, can never be justified, regardless

of their motivations.

Today I join the voice of Europe to those who

have spoken to deplore the civil war raging in Syria.

Confronted with the massacre of tens of thousands of

people, the world has united in horror and condemnation,

but — we must be frank — we have not yet been able to

stop the brutal violence. Of course Europe and others

provide humanitarian support to refugees. Of course

we support individuals who risk their lives collecting

evidence of the massacres. Of course our diplomats

in Damascus do their utmost to support the United

Nations efforts for a peaceful solution. But we will

remain powerless unless the international community

unites in a common determination to end this senseless

violence, which threatens to wreak havoc in the whole

region.

I should like to commend the excellent work and

strong commitment of the Secretary-General, as well as

that of Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi, to find

a solution to overcome this tragedy.

I also welcome the initiatives aimed at bringing

together the main regional players in a coherent

international approach. Earlier this year, European

leaders called upon all members of the Security Council

to work together in an effort to stop the violence. Today

that call is even more urgent.

The country needs to move quickly towards a

Syrian-led political transition that meets the democratic

aspirations of the Syrian people, while fully respecting

the civil and human rights of minorities. It is the only

way out. Those responsible for the repression have no

place in determining the future of Syria and must step

aside. The longer that the conflict continues, the more

radicalized people will become, the more blood will

needlessly be shed, and the longer it will take for the

wounds to heal.

The security situation remains complex and fragile

in many parts of the world. The events of the Arab Spring

should not distract us from the urgent task of achieving

peace in the Middle East — quite the contrary. There

are also other pressing issues, including addressing

instability and the humanitarian situation in the Sahel

region; bringing peace and stability to the Great Lakes

region; convincing the Democratic People’s Republic

of Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons and missile

programmes; and finding a negotiated solution to the

Iranian nuclear issue, an issue to which the European

Union is directly committed.

We must address all of those concerns, with the

knowldege that lasting solutions require political will

from the countries involved. In the same spirit, it is

important that tensions in the East and South-East

Asian maritime areas subside and that disputes be

settled peacefully in a spirit of cooperation based on

respect for international law.

There are many global challenges that we must

tackle together. But without multilateral cooperation on

issues ranging from fighting climate change to reducing

poverty around the world, we will not succeed. That

is why the European Union fully supports a stronger,

more effective and more efficient United Nations.

Citizens in all our countries want jobs. In that regard

as well, global cooperation is indispensable and is the

best way to ensure the world’s economic recovery. Our

economies have become completely interdependent. No

country can solve its issues alone; no country can afford

to ignore the problems of others. Do we know that? Yes.

Do we act upon that knowledge? Not often enough.

In 2008, at the start of the global financial crisis,

there was a brief moment of global awareness, a sense

of urgency that led to new forums, joint pledges and

coordinated action. Today, although the crisis is still

with us, our resolve in the current period after the failure

of Lehman Brothers seems to have waned and must be

revived. All major economies need to play their part in

putting the world economy back on the path of growth.

Global growth depends on structural reforms in each

of our countries and on reducing the macroeconomic

imbalances among them.

In Europe we are doing our part of that work.

No effort has been spared to overcome the current

difficulties in the eurozone. We have been setting up

stronger firewalls to guarantee the stability of our

common currency, and we are reforming our economies

to become more competitive and create jobs for the

future. We have started building a banking union to

better manage and contain financial sector risk; and in

the coming months we will be defining the perspectives

on where we are headed and where we want our

economic and monetary union to be in 10 years’ time.

We have already come a long way, and today we see

the first results of that collective endeavour. Although

there is still some way to go, I am confident that those

efforts will meet with success and that Europe will

emerge from the experience stronger, economically and

politically.

That is what I have come before the Assembly to

say. In our view as Europeans, managing the financial

crisis not only concerns monetary operations and

balancing budgets. What is at stake is the very future

of our European project. The project was born in order

to overcome the wars and dictatorships that had long

haunted our continent. For 60 years, our union has

allowed us to end nationalist hatred between countries

and to establish a unified continent in peace that seeks

social justice and prosperity, which requires daily

efforts to maintain those values and establish them

more firmly. Gains can always be forfeited. At the

global level, it is the task of the General Assembly to

strive tirelessly to pursue the same goals that we all

share, and to clear the way forward towards greater

harmony and greater progress throughout the world.