A MISSION
After
five years serving the oldest and widest institution of European
unification, the now 46-member-states organization Council of
Europe in Strasbourg as its Secretary General, I accepted in
September 2004 the invitation of the Fondazione
Mediterraneo and my good friends Arch. Michele Capasso and On.
Claudio Azzolini to become the Secretary General of the Naples
based Maison de la Méditerranée:
Europe
and its neighbours face similar challenges in this fast
globalising world and we need to prepare our societies to deal
with them. Reform and modernisation are essential. The challenges
to our future – global terrorism tries to hi-jack religion , the
poverty gap is growing, it’s more and more difficult keeping the
economy on the move, the threats to environment and others yet to
come – require a collective regional, international and global
response. Facing these challenges, if we take our responsibility
seriously, leaves no space for what was called by an American
author “the clash of civilisations”. On the contrary,
civilisations are jointly challenged. Terrorism is not the result
of one civilisation opposing or attacking another one, no, it is
an attack on all civilisations. The problem of poverty is not only
a problem of poor regions or countries, no it’s a problem of the
prosperous countries too and keeping the economy moving concerns
not only the developed countries. The threats to environment and
our natural resources are threats to the future of all of us.
Looking
to our common challenges and also opportunities we have much more
in common than many people in our countries think. Unfortunately
people too often look first at differences and what may divide us
than to what may unite us.
Diversity
within and between our societies should be seen as an asset, not
as an obstacle. We must learn to learn from each other.
Europe
itself contains a wide diversity of nations, cultures, religions,
minorities. Europe this is 47 states, 200 languages,
several religious denominations Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox
Christians, Muslims, Jews, even Buddhist, Latin, Germanic, Slavic,
Ottoman traditions and others. There has been always an
interaction with our neighbours in the East and in the South.
During the time of the Roman Empire the Mediterranean was called
“Mare nostrum” – our sea.
The Arabs, who came to Spain and ruled the major part of
the peninsula as “Al Andalus” brought a very valuable legacy
back to Europe, the heritage of the great Greek philosophers.
In
times of rising xenophobia and intolerance we have to recall the
positive experiences with the wide diversity of nations, cultures
and religions in Europe and in the Mediterranean area. I am
convinced that it was exactly this diversity which helped to
create a European cultural identity, to achieve so much in
sciences and arts and finally to develop step by step also a
European political identity. And this very specific identity
includes the obligation to share the achievements with the
neighbours and to get friends with the neighbours.
Europe
has learned, often after tragic historical experiences, to develop
responses to today’s challenges based on a joint commitment to
democracy, human rights and the rule of law. These responses,
which are increasingly elaborated together with civil society,
build on universal values reflected in fundamental texts of the
United Nations which are our common heritage. So the European commitment to these global responses should
include good neighbourhood and a real partnership with our
neighbours in facing common challenges.
Samuel P.
Huntington’s book “The Clash of Civilisations” is frequently
quoted, but as I realised, very often by people who did not read
it. Time and again, I have repeated my own conviction that the
current problems do not reflect a clash of civilisations but a
clash of ignorance. I strongly believe that we can together afford
bridging the understanding gap between Arab and Islamic nations
and the so-called West. That
is a prerequisite for starting our joint efforts to build a better
world.
Each
of us can start at home. Therefore, when addressing the Islamic
Summit in Kuala Lumpur in October 2003, I underlined that, as the
then Secretary General of the Council of Europe, I represented 800
million European citizens, including 100 million who may claim to
have an Islamic faith or culture. Islamic countries are not only our neighbours, but the Islamic
component is an integral part of Europe’s diversity. Of course,
I do not claim that this diversity never poses problems. Problems
do arise, such as incidents of Islamophobia, and issues concerning
fundamental freedoms, equality between women and men, as well as
integration of migrants.
There
are other pressing issues. Terrorist acts violate our most
fundamental rights, just as they offend our deepest religious
beliefs. They must be condemned and repressed with utmost vigour.
But we also have to ensure that our response to terrorism upholds
our values. There is the need to avoid undermining or even
destroying our values on the grounds of defending them. I am very
proud that in that spirit the Council of Europe issued two years
ago on my initiative “Guidelines on human rights and the fight
against terrorism”. They are more topical than ever.
As
regards the Middle East, I would not only recall the steady
support of Europe for the “road map” and the appeals for a
greater commitment to the process and an immediate end to violence,
but I want to contribute personally through good personal
relations with personalities on both sides as well as through
concrete actions, e.g. enhanced youth dialogue between Israelis
and Arabs which I started already as Secretary General of the
Council of Europe.
So
we can do more in this sea of troubles beside keeping our optimism
and sticking to our ideals – there is an opportunity to take
concrete action.
We
can bring knowledge about the Arab world and its religious and
cultural traditions to Europe and we can bring knowledge about Europe
and its religious and cultural traditions to the Arab and the
Islamic world. I do not say “about Islam to Europe” and
“about Christianity to the Arab world”, because, Islam also
belongs to European heritage as Christianity belongs to the Arab
heritage.
We
should never allow the European project to be defined along
narrowly construed cultural, religious, historic, geographic or
even ethnic lines. The project of political Europe, let us
never forget, is first and foremost based on values of democracy,
human rights and the rule of law.
Working
with the Fondazione Mediterraneo and the Maison de la
Méditerranée and its enthusiastic founder and president Arch.
Michele Capasso gives me the opportunity to work for an enlarged
Mediterranean project of shared values of democracy, tolerance,
mutual understanding, human dignity and human rights and the rule
of law, national and international law. This is why I joined the Maison
de la Méditerranée as
its Secretary General.
Walter Schwimmer,
Secretary General of the Maison de la Méditerranée
Former
Secretary General of the Council of Europe
