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Prime Minister Borut Pahor at Europe Day Ceremony: Governments come and Governments go, the border is set for the generations to come

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, today attended the Europe Day ceremony dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Schuman declaration.  In his address, he stressed the essence of the European idea and linked it to the meaning this has for the settlement of the border issue with Croatia:  »At a referendum on the Arbitration Agreement, Slovenia can decide its own destiny and recover what it has lost progressively since gaining independence«.

     

(Photo: Stanko Gruden/STA)

    

In his speech, Prime Minister Pahor reminded the public of the Schuman declaration, made 60 years ago: »This was not some insignificant political concept but a great, political and wise idea that helped reach the consensus between the Western European countries, including those traditionally at war, such as France, Germany and others. A simple idea – older than the Declaration itself – saying that ‘if our neighbour as a friend is doing well, then we will all be doing well’, gained momentum and became the idea of the European integration. Moreover, it inspired us to become independent after the fall of the Berlin wall«.

      

(Photo: Stanko Gruden/STA)

    

The Slovenian Prime Minister also stressed that the grounds for independence were not selfish national interests but a wish to join the European nations and to create together a safe and future-oriented Europe. Today, 20 years after the plebiscite, with a referendum scheduled for the coming month of June, we round up our decision started in 1990, went on to say Prime Minister Pahor and pointed out: »It is our right to take a decision as we did in 1990. This time again, with emotion and with the heart, in order to avoid the short-term thinking whether this means support to or a slap in the face of the Government. Governments come and go, presidents change, but now we are faced with an ambitious decision which tells about our future for the decades to come«. 
        
At the close of his address, Prime Minister Pahor reminded again of the former French Minister of Foreign affairs, who as a great statesman stepped out of the average and pointed to the horizons of the new Europe’s future. The Europeans followed and so did we: »Now we are the ones who point to the horizons of – not only Slovenian – but of our common European future. The essence of the European idea is first to put together what brings us together and to slowly but surely put aside that what takes us apart «.