Extracts from the formal sitting in honnor of Konstatinos KARAMANLIS, President of the Hellenic republic during the plenary session in Strasbourg. Welcome words by Pieter DANKERT, EP President and speech by Konstatinos KARAMANLIS.

EU - Greece (T)

plenary session

Enlargement to Greece (T)

formal sitting

DANKERT, Pieter (PSE, NL)

KARAMANLÍS, Konstantínos (EL, 1907 - 1998)

Formal sitting on the occasion of the visit of Konstatinos KARAMANLIS, President of the Hellenic republic: extracts

SOUNDBITE (French) Piet DANKERT, EP President, "In extending a welcome to Mr Konstantinos Karamanlis, President of the Hellenic Republic, I am welcoming among us today a man who deserves enormous credit for having corrected a serious deviation in the course of history. Mr President, we appreciate the important role that you played in re-establishing democracy in Greece, and all of us, who as Europeans, have inherited the legacy of Greek thought, are grateful for the struggle which you led after choosing exile in order that right should prevail over the power of the dictators." (3 shots)

SOUNDBITE (French) Piet DANKERT, EP President, "Mr President, you made an exceptional contribution to Greece's entry into the European Community. It as you who, when Prime Minister, opened the negotiations with a view to the association of Greece and the Community and it was you who, once again as Prime Minister, began the negotiations for its accession. "These were the main reasons why you were awarded the Charlemagne and Schuman prizes." (2 shots)

SOUNDBITE (French) Piet DANKERT, EP President, " In the hope that our collaboration will once again be beneficial, it is with great pleasure that I invite you to speak", applauses (4 shots)

SOUNDBITE (Greek) Konstantinos KARAMANLIS, President of the Hellenic Republic, "Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank, first of all, the Bureau of the European Parliament for honouring me with an invitation to present from this official rostrum my thoughts on the future of Europe. I feel this honour even more strongly because I know that it is not addressed only to me but also to my country, Greece, the country which has given Europe its name and offered to it for centuries its word and spirit. (Lund applause) (2 shots)

SOUNDBITE (Greek) Konstantinos KARAMANLIS, President of the Hellenic Republic, "In order to present my thoughts with the easiness and scope imposed by the importance of the subject, I will speak more like a man who believes deeply in the European Idea and less like the bearer of the thoughts of the country I represent. And I consider it a happy coincidence that I am addressing you on the critical issue of the Union of Europe on the day following the debate which this Parliament has held on it. A debate which more than anything else has vindicated the existence of this institution and broken down the barrier of silence and indifference." (3 shots)

SOUNDBITE (Greek) Konstantinos KARAMANLIS, President of the Hellenic Republic, "There always have been and there always will be sceptics, of course. Most of them react because they are inspired by obsolete nationalist concepts and put petty interests before the major goals of the Union. In other words, they cannot see the wood for the trees. The fears of these sceptics are clearly due to confusion. Carried away by superficial differences they lose sight of the underlying unity. They lose sight of the common interests and dangers which link Europeans. They forget their common cultural traditions, the closeness of their moral values and the identity of their way of thinking. In other words, they forget the European culture on which we will build the European Confederation. A Confederation which will safeguard the security of our peoples, consolidate our democratic institutions and speed up our material and moral progress." (2 shots)

SOUNDBITE (Greek) Konstantinos KARAMANLIS, President of the Hellenic Republic, "Concluding my speech, ladies and gentlemen, I cannot but remind you all of our historic responsibilities. And, faced with the uncertainty of our options, I wonder with Paul Valery: 'Will Europe become what it is in reality, i.e. a small appendage of the Asian Continent? Or will it remain what it appears to be, that is the precious part of the universe, the pearl of the earth, the brain of a body? "Our generation is called upon to provide the answer to this momentous question. And its answer, whatever it is, will most certainly have far-reaching consequences." (Standing ovation) (3 shots)