Honorabile President of Hungary Dr János Áder, President of the EU Court of Justice Prof. Dr Koen Lenaerts, and President of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany Prof. Dr Andreas Voßkuhle, Prof. László Trócsányi, Hungary's Minister of Justice, esteemed Presidents, Vice presidents and Justices of the Constitutional Courts and Highest Courts, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen! We are happy to welcome you all at this special conference entitled "Constitutional Eudentity 2018" with a special focus on "Unity in Diversity and Common and Particular Values".
Throughout the Member States of the European Union the past few years have witnessed momentous changes, among others the emergence and strengthening of ideas that are aiming to revaluate the significance of "the people versus the elite" paradox. This trend undoubtedly signifies that we are facing a crisis, which I would call the "crisis of European identity". Across Europe the national elections have resulted in the resurgence of parties campaigning for the revision of the meaning of EU membership. What undoubtedly lies at the root of the phenomenon is globalization, or to be more exact, a universal crisis associated with globalization, which we can all experience in our daily lives.
What is the role of Europe in the globalized world? On the one hand, the mere existence of the European Union brings into focus certain issues related to the concept of identity which arise from the obvious tensions between the so-called open and closed societies. On the other hand, we have to admit that so far the European Union has been unable to a give clear answer as to what European identity means. The main ambition of this conference is to search for answers to fill this gap. If we, who believe in democracy, the rule of law and European dialogue fail to come up with a credible definition of European identity, the resulting political and ideological vacuum will be definitely exploited by extremist political forces.
What is the meaning of European identity today? It is not only the task of politicians to make a responsible decision, but we, constitutional justices are equally responsible and should share this burden. I genuinely hope that this conference will enable us to rise to this difficult task and will also bring us closer to finding a common platform.
The concept of Europe is comprised of geographical, historical and cultural factors, and each has contributed to the shaping of our European identity. Indisputably, common and shared historical experiences create the strongest bond between the nations and states of Europe. Ladies and gentlemen! The lives of the peoples of Europe are closely interwoven in spite of the bitter conflicts and devastating wars that once pitted us against one another. It depends solely on us whether the future of Europe and our common European identity will be shaped by conflicts or by a constructive dialogue.
The European Union and European identity are underpinned by common values formulated in the founding treaties: respect for human dignity, protection of fundamental rights, freedom, equality, democracy and the rule of law. Only those societies can provide an ideal platform for the enforcement of these values which are based on plurality, solidarity, tolerance and gender equality. The acceptance of these crucial values is a basic requirement for any country that wants to belong to Europe. Notably, the findings of reliable surveys of European values have revealed that the importance of these common values varies in different member states. The surveys have also shown that for Europeans "the nation state" has always been the primary point of reference in a political sense.
A Jogkódex-előfizetéséhez tartozó felhasználónévvel és jelszóval is be tud jelentkezni.
Az ORAC Kiadó előfizetéses folyóiratainak „valós idejű” (a nyomtatott lapszámok megjelenésével egyidejű) eléréséhez kérjen ajánlatot a Szakcikk Adatbázis Plusz-ra!
Visszaugrás
