The migration crisis has given an impulse to a debate on the identity of European Christian Democracy. From its very beginning I was warning against two threats. First, that the powerlessness regarding the wave of illegal migration, to effectively control our external border would provoke a crisis of trust of our citizens in the liberal state and the European Union as a whole. Because people value freedom and openness only as long as they feel safe. The second threat is the emergence of the politicians on the main stage who, by taking advantage of the chaos triggered by the new migration period, started to set security and order against openness and freedom.
Yes, it took us too much time, but finally we managed, thanks to our common efforts, to abandon the logic of powerlessness, and to concentrate on the protection of the external border. There is still a lot of work ahead of us, but at least one thing is obvious: that our priority is to stop illegal migration. I heard this from all the leaders during our last European Council.
When it comes to the second threat which has not yet disappeared. I want to say it very bluntly that no-one has the right, at least in our political family, to attack liberal democracy and its foundations. We cannot agree with an argument that the effective protection of the European border, of our territory and identity, means to defy the rules of liberal democracy.
Let me be absolutely clear:
If you are against the rule of law and independent judiciary, you are not a Christian Democrat;
If you don’t like the free press and NGOs, if you tolerate xenophobia, homophobia, nationalism and anti-Semitism, you are not a Christian Democrat;
If you place the state and the nation against, or above, the freedom and dignity of the individual, you are not a Christian Democrat;
If you wish for conflict and divisions globally and inside the European Union, you are not a Christian Democrat;
If you support Putin and attack Ukraine, if you are in favour of the aggressor and against the victim, you are not a Christian Democrat;
If you want to replace the Western model of liberal democracy with an Eastern model of “authoritarian democracy”, you are not a Christian Democrat.
I would like to believe that all of us here wish to remain faithful to the ideals of the true Christian Democracy.
We all want to win the upcoming elections. But let us remember that at stake in these elections are not benefits and jobs, but the protection of our fundamental values. Because without them, our victory will make no sense. Thank you very much.
| Council of the European Union | |
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| 6/11/2018 | PRESS RELEASE |
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2018 ECOFIN Climate Finance Conclusions
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THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
- REAFFIRMS the strong support of the EU and its Member States for the timely implementation of the Paris Agreement together with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Addis Ababa Action Agenda. EMPHASISES the EU’s commitment to develop a robust and fully functioning set of rules as the outcome of the Paris Agreement Work Programme at COP24, which is essential for laying the groundwork for enhanced ambition, support and investment to enable the achievement of the Paris Agreement’s objectives.
- REITERATES the importance of making swift and ambitious progress on making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development. UNDERLINES that progress towards this objective is necessary to meet the long-term mitigation and adaptation objectives of the Paris Agreement and that it should be given due consideration within the UNFCCC architecture. STRESSES the need to encourage and effectively assess collective progress towards the objective of Article 2.1c of the Paris Agreement, including, but not limited to, through the global stock-take, and to undertake further work to develop methods and modalities towards this end.
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statement on the outcome of the 2018 midterm election:
