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Notes for the EDU Party Leaders Conference Address

English Pages, 13. 3. 1996

During the three years which have gone since our last meeting, there have been significant political shifts and changes, both inside our countries and in the international arena. I believe that the results have been - from the point of view of values and principles we in EDU share - highly favourable.

The parties on the right side of the political spectrum (truly right-wing or right of the centre) form governments in the largest European countries - Great Britain, France and Germany - and recently won the very important parliamentary elections in Spain. Let me express our pleasure and joy to our Spanish friends on their great success which represents an encouragement for all of us. In some other countries, the EDU member parties succeeded in taking part in various government coalitions where they play an important role. I suppose you know that the Czech government coalition, led by the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) which I represent here, is approaching the end of its successful, full four-year mandate during which the main transformation measures have been done and the country has emerged as a full-fledged pluralistic democracy and a market economy. The coalition has the best chance to continue after the parliamentary elections in June this year.

We appreciate very much the opportunity to participate in EDU activities because EDU is the only place where all European right-wing politicians - whether they are Conservatives, Liberals or Christian Democrats - can meet, discuss and work together. We know, however, that we have a strong and well-organized opponent - represented by both The Socialist Internacional and The Party of European Socialists. Their degree of association and internationalization has always been much higher than our own because they are based on collectivistic ideas whereas we preach individual freedom and responsibility. Therefore, we should not be bothered or disappointed if we are not always able to come to a totally identical position in all questions which are included in our programmes and declarations. Nevertheless, we have to strive for a maximum possible unity and mutual support.

This Party Leaders Conference is - to a considerable degree - influenced by the forthcoming Intergovernmental Conference of the EU member countries. The complexity of the conference topics and the resulting difference in opinions were - as we all know - revealed in the difficult debates during the preparation of the documents of our today’s meeting. We should not, however, be nervous or fundamentalist. We have to admit that there is more than one feasible model of the future shape of Europe. The alternatives should be discussed freely and without prejudices. But I hope we are all prepared to look for and to find common starting points and a viable compromise.

Our position is clear and straightforward. The Czech Republic considers its membership in the EU as a crucial strategic goal which has no alternative. On the other hand, to use the formulation from our recently approved party programme, we are convinced that even in the future the sovereign states will represent the original building stones of the EU and that the sovereignty of the Union will remain a derived one. We do not want our state to be disintegrated in multi-national structures which have neither deep historical roots nor genuine identity. The strength of Europe is in its diversity, not in its uniformity.

In the last couple of years we have spent a lot of time - both at home and at various EDU meetings - discussing the concept of the so-called „social market economy“. I do not consider it productive to open the debate here again. Some EDU member countries use this term, some do not. Our political party belongs clearly and firmly to the second group. But let us try to be above terminological disputes and get back to basics. I hope we are firmly on the same side of the ideological barricade - we believe that the ability of the government to control the economy is extremely limited and should be minimized. And, we believe as well that the reasonable and efficient social policy, which we all advocate and implement in our countries, is a result, not a precondition of a free market system. The new EDU members from Central and Eastern Europe have their unlucky historic experience with violent attempts to optimize economic and social dimensions of human society and, as a consequence of it, some words are for them probably more unacceptable than for the representatives of parties which have not undergone such a disasterous communist experiment as we have.

I can assure you that the Czech Civic Democratic Party considers its membership in EDU seriously and intends to participate in EDU activities with the same or even higher intensity in the future. I take my election as one of the vice-chairmen of EDU as an expression of confidence not only in me personally but in the Civic Democratic Party as well as in the Czech Republic itself. I will try not to disappoint you in this role.

Václav Klaus, Chairman of the Civic Democratic Party of the Czech Republic, Paris, 13 March 1996