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Thank you, Ms. Leo Busch,

Prime Ministers and Laureates,
Dr. Riebschläger,
Ladies and gentlemen.

Es ist mir eine Ehre und eine Freude, gerade heute in Berlin zu sein. Die Stadt Berlin ist selbst das kraftvollste Symbol der europäischen Integration. Deshalb möchte ich diese Gelegenheit benutzen, um Deutschland zum dreizehnten Jahrestag der Wiedervereinigung zu gratulieren.

(First of all, let me say that it is a great pleasure for me to be here in Berlin today and to have this opportunity to congratulate Germany on the thirteenth anniversary of reunification.)

I was foreign minister of Norway in the autumn of 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down, and I remember vividly the excitement we all felt. It is the most momentous event I have witnessed so far in my political career.

On such an important day for Europe it is a great honour to present the Quadriga “European of the Year” prize to two such outstanding Europeans as Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg and Prime Minister Einars Repše of Latvia.

In my opinion the jury has selected two eminently deserving individuals. But the award is also a political statement. It lauds the most remarkable effect of the fall of the Berlin Wall – the growing together of what we used to call “Eastern” and “Western” Europe.

The decision to give the prize to the prime ministers of two European states, one a Western European co-founder of the European Union and NATO, the other a newly independent Baltic state about to join both organisations, is thus a highly appropriate one.

Luxembourg represents the original, Western European impetus towards what is now the European Union. Latvia symbolises the 25 member-state Union which from next year will span the former East-West divide.

As the jury points out, these two prime ministers embody the idea of European partnership at the same time as they have distinguished themselves in their commitment to their respective countries.

Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker has devoted a major part of his long political career to the cause of European unity. As minister of finance and president of the ECOFIN Council during the Luxembourg presidency of the European Union in 1991, he was one of the main architects of the Maastricht treaty. I know that he personally contributed much of the treaty text on Economic and Monetary Union, and also played a key role in the adoption of the Growth and Stability Pact. He could therefore very well be called “the father of the euro”.

By initiating the Luxembourg process, Prime Minister Juncker has also helped make sure the Union focuses not only on market and monetary integration, but also on employment and other social issues. More recently Prime Minister Juncker has through his mediations contributed decisively to making EU enlargement possible by 1 May next year. He has also striven to reinforce the communitarian elements in the Convention’s draft treaty establishing a constitution for Europe. And I am sure he will continue this effort in the intergovernmental conference which starts in Rome tomorrow.

In addition, I would like to particularly emphasise Prime Minister Juncker’s constant efforts to build bridges between large and small European states. This is an endeavour that will clearly become more rather than less important in the Europe that is now taking shape.

Leaving aside the discussion of “old” and “new” Europe, both the award winners today, and particularly Prime Minister Einars Repše of Latvia, could be said to represent the young Europe. As still relatively young men, both will probably continue to be engaged in European affairs for a long time to come.

In the context of Nordic-Baltic co-operation, I have learned to know Prime Minister Repše as an outstanding representative of the determination and dynamism that are a characteristic of the Baltic states today.

Prime Minister Repše played a crucial role in the achievement of Latvian independence in 1991 and in the subsequent restoration of the Latvian economy.

His major contribution to European unity so far has been to put his country firmly on a course towards European Union and NATO membership. His consistent and pragmatic advocacy of accession to the EU was a main factor in ensuring the clear majority in favour of membership in the Latvian referendum two weeks ago. Prime Minister Repše’s personal efforts have also contributed decisively to ensuring that Latvia will join NATO next year.

In addition, I would like to emphasise Prime Minister Repše’s determined fight against corruption and his endeavour to make Latvia a transparent and open society. From a Norwegian point of view, I also appreciate very much the emphasis he puts on integrating the Russian community into Latvian society and on developing close co-operation and dialogue between the EU and Russia. Ethnic resentment and nationalism will have to be overcome, and Russia will have to be a closely involved partner if the Europe of the future is going to work.

Prime Ministers Juncker and Repše are being honoured here today for their contributions to European integration. Their achievements in this regard are indeed remarkable, and correspond very closely with the ideals of our common European party federation, the European People’s Party.

At the same time, the two men represent the great diversity of the new Europe that is now emerging.

They remind us that Europe consists of highly diverse sovereign states, small, medium and large; rich and poor; northern, southern, western, central and eastern European; with distinctive national and regional traditions.

European unity will indeed have to be a unity in diversity, or there will be no unity at all.

This is a basic truth that we strongly emphasise in my own country, which has twice voted to remain outside the European Union.

The fact that Norway is not a member of the EU does not mean that we are not European, or that we are anti-European. On the contrary we have actively participated and supported closer cooperation among countries in Europe, in particular within the Organization Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe. In the Council of Europe we will assume the chairmanship in May next year.

Norway is part of the single market through the European Economic Area Agreement. We also participate in European co-operation on unrestricted travel and common external border controls in the Schengen area.

Norway actively supports European solidarity. We contribute significant human and financial resources to stability and development in Europe, particularly in northwest Russia and the Balkans.

Integrating Russia into the democratic Europe is an important priority, both for Norway and the EU. Regional cooperation in the Baltic Sea area and the Barents Council is important in this regard. Norway is actively engaged in this cooperation, which includes significant issues such as environment, energy, trade, health and culture. Also, the cooperation under the NATO-Russia Council is imperative in our joint efforts to expand and deepen our cooperation with Russia.

When the European Union and the European Economic Area are enlarged next year, our financial contribution to the EU will increase tenfold. Most of it will go to the new member states. Norway will in fact be contributing to the EU budget on a par with Denmark, which is the ninth largest net contributor of all the member states.

The European Union is a major force for peace and prosperity in Europe. The question of Norwegian membership has not been settled once and for all, but I think perhaps we need to see the nature of the future Union more clearly before the question of reconsidering our current status will be on the political agenda in my country. It will be particularly important to see how enlargement and a new constitutional treaty affect the EU, in particular the situation for the smaller member states. We will follow this closely.

Another important issue is whether we will see an EU with more differentiated integration, where groups of member states will move forward and seek enhanced cooperation in certain specific areas. And if this will lead to an EU allowing for more flexibility and different levels of integration? Already today we see developments illustrating this in areas such as Schengen, the Economic and Monetary Union, and possibly within European security and defence cooperation.

In my opinion, what we need is a Europe that gives all countries, large and small, an equal place, that respects the individuality of both states and citizens, and that also serves as an ethical force in promoting our common European values.

We must seek a Europe based on our common Christian and humanistic heritage. A Europe where men and women care more about the poor and the oppressed, and not only about their own personal gain and material wealth. A Europe of equal opportunities for all.

I am sure the award winners will agree that some of the most fundamental European values we should fight for together are human dignity, liberty, solidarity, the rule of law and democracy.

To me, these values embody what Europe, this prize and the two award winners stand for in a very fundamental way.

Prime Ministers and Laureates,

Dr. Riebschläger,

Ladies and gentlemen.

Der Quadriga Preis trägt dazu bei, dass Berlin weiterhin ein Symbol demokratischer Werte bleibt. Mit grosser Freude und Hoffnung für die Zukunft überreiche ich deshalb die Quadriga den Europäern des Jahres, Premierminister Jean-Claude Juncker aus Luxemburg und Premierminister Einars Repše aus Lettland.

(Therefore, I now take great pleasure in presenting the Quadriga “European of the Year” prize to Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg and Prime Minister Einars Repše of Latvia.)