HIGHLY TOPICAL AND ENGAGING ISSUES
Meeting of 14 Heads of States of Central Europe

Verbania - Stresa (Italy), 9 June 2001




This year's meeting involved highly topical and engaging issues, which can be summarized as : European values, the European constitution, the situation in the Balkans and the European cultural or civilisational identity. It turned out that these are topics all of us are deliberating on. Naturally, it also turned out that thoughts on these issues are somewhat different in countries that are members of European structures than in countries that are only aspiring for membership. Nevertheless, two things are perfectly clear: there is common belief that EU and NATO enlargement is imperative if Europe is to overcome the remainders of erstwhile divisions, if it is to create peace, security and appropriate conditions for the development and prosperity of all, and also if Europe is to develop a capacity to play the role of one of the centres of modern human civilisation and assume responsibility for the future of mankind. An internally disintegrated, fragmented and economically and politically divided Europe will not be capable of playing that role - this does not refer the role that Europe had in the world of past centuries.

It also turned out that candidate countries are prepared to do a lot to step through the doors which now remain open at least to some, to some they are half open and for others they are unfortunately closed. Also, the cognition has prevailed in member states that more must be done for the great efforts lying ahead than just support enlargement in principle.

The meetings of Presidents of Central European States were born at a time when the block division of Europe came to a formal end, yet its consequences remained, which is why the West and its traditional values had to make it to the East of Europe as soon as possible in order for the West to embed itself substantively and organically in the environment where most European nations were once formed. I believe that one can state at this, the 8th meeting, that our meetings have contributed considerably to the achievement of this goal. The meetings now include fourteen states, meaning that there is great interest in taking part in these meetings, which are not formal and are not institutionalised and have become almost a matter of prestige. This means that true partnership, true co-operation, a true common path does not require institutional forms. The topics which were chosen, freedom and democracy, the future constitution of Europe, the civilisational identity of Europe, as well as those concerning the Balkans have demonstrated that these meetings are not bound to a view that narrows life down to numbers and quantitative criteria, answers to economic, financial and other forms of participation, but instead to a view that living together requires a solid bonding tissue represented by the system of values.