On the occasion of his visit to the EP in Strasbourg, Alexander Van DER BELLEN, Austrian Federal President, addresses to the MEPs during the formal sitting.

TAJANI, Antonio (EPP, IT)

Strasbourg

visit

EU - Australia (T)

formal sitting

VAN DER BELLEN, Alexander (AT)

Address by Alexander VAN DER BELLEN, Austrian Federal President: extracts from the formal sitting

Arrival of Alexander VAN der BELLEN, Austrian President, walk over to the desk to address the Chamber (5 shots),

SOUNDBITE (German), Alexander VAN DER BELLEN, Austrian President, Unfortunately in the European Union it has become a bit of trend to say that we have to decide, the same that we have to decide for the love for our homeland on the one hand and our love for Europe on the other. Between the need the help for people in our own country and that need for people from other countries, between self-interest and the interest of others and this either or I believe is misleading, it takes its restrain. We are perfectly able to love our own homeland and also the European idea.

SOUNDBITE (German), Alexander VAN DER BELLEN, Austrian President,  It is possible with a clear commitment to the European Union to win elections and it is not automatically that those who are against Europe would take the lead.

SOUNDBITE (German), Alexander VAN DER BELLEN, Austrian President, This peace in Europe has been created from inside through cooperation and on the basis of mutual respect. And that is a feed of civilisation of which can and should be proud, it cannot be well enough estimated.

SOUNDBITE (German), Alexander VAN DER BELLEN, Austrian President, It is a simple truth that we are stronger together than alone, when we forget this simple fact do we put in danger many, if not all, what represents this Western Europe.

SOUNDBITE (German), Alexander VAN DER BELLEN, Austrian President, A realistic political view tells us that we have just to take it that some 3rd countries will try and undermine the negotiating power of the European Union. Now obviously the negotiating power of an individual member state is much smaller than that of an entire continent. And therefore it is very important for every member state of the European Union that we should avoid falling back in individual state situations.

SOUNDBITE (German), Alexander VAN DER BELLEN, Austrian President, Which of this major urgent problems would an individual state be better to solve? Climate change, energy policy, migration, unemployment, poverty, war, displacements, violence and terror, would it be better to solve all of these at individual state level than at the Union level? We would be fooling ourselves. If we can solve this we can only solve them together.

SOUNDBITE (German), Alexander VAN DER BELLEN, Austrian President, Together all of us, young and old can face up to and deal with the looming challenges, we the elder ones cannot allow the younger people to be stripped of their Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Alexander VAN DER BELLEN, Austrian President, (citation of a poem, but changing the last phrase)  I do love these stars too fondly to be fearful of the night or to be fearful of the next crisis of the European Union. Thank you for your attention.