ADDRESS BY H.E. PROF. GUIDO DE MARCO, PRESIDENT OF MALTA, ON THE OCCASION OF THE CONFERENCE "CULTURE AS A MEANS OF INTEGRATING THE PEOPLE OF EUROPE"

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are gathered here today to explore and learn about culture as a means of integration, as a means of fostering unity of purpose and values amongst the peoples of Europe. However, in this day and age, one cannot speak of culture without taking into consideration the context in which values are to be adopted and employed.

This is a context that has exposed us to new intellectual, philosophical and social questions. It is the manner in which we face these challenges which will determine our present and our future, our existence as well as that of future generations.

Today, we are living the reality of globalization. The global village envisaged by Marshall McLuhan has however been effected in more than one sense – through more than one medium. Globalisation is a multifaceted reality whose bearing and effects have asserted themselves onto the daily lives of the major part of humanity.

The Secretary General of the United Nations Organisation, Kofi Annan, describes globalisation as :

"a new context for and a new connectivity among economic actors and activities throughout the world. Globalisation has been made possible by the progressive dismantling of barriers to trade and capital mobility, together with fundamental technological advances and steadily declining costs of transportation, communication and computing. Its integrative logic seems inexorable, its momentum irresistible."

Globalisation is a process and a phenomenon from which no one can exempt himself, a reality towards which no one can play truant.

The benefits of globalisation are there for all to see: higher rates of economic growth, an exponential increase in the innovation of technologies, a general increase in standards of living, a growing speed and mobility in the exchange of information and ideas. These developments have inevitably led us all on to a path of a ‘globalised' integration.

As any process in the history of mankind, there also exists the reverse side of the coin – challenges which are as real as the ever increasing opportunities. These are the apparently growing divides between rich and poor, between the ‘haves' and the ‘have nots', and political, social and economic instability as a consequence of the rapid changes both on the domestic and international fronts. These negative aspects can be added on to the ever-present perils of age-old and new destabilising factors such as racism and xenophobia, intolerance, drug abuse and organised crime, and concerns surrounding issues of bio-ethics.

This is the context in which individuals and states alike have to act today. This is why I believe in the necessity to build strong positive individual and collective identities anchored in values that have withstood the tests of time, values that transcend temporal concerns and considerations.

In this rapidly changing environment affecting all aspects of our lives, cultures and identities assume particular importance. They represent our anchorage.

Culture is not only what T.S. Eliot described "simply as that which makes life worth living". Under the cultural umbrella rests the whole spectrum of activities within society, its traditions and modes of trade, its propensity towards particular activities, as well as its historical, artistic and intellectual heritage – in short, its way of life.

Culture gives definition to a people's identity.

The richness of Europe lies in the fact that there exist a number of diverse traditions that evolved through the centuries into distinct expressions and ways of life. Diversity of ideologies and interests often gave rise to conflicts that wrecked havoc on the lives of many. The twentieth century was the background to the tragic events in Europe and elsewhere, with two conflicts of titanic consequences together with half a century marked by a bitter divide between East and West. The latest tragic examples were the wars in the Balkans during the past decade, where we witnessed dreadful episodes of ethnic cleansing and the massacre of innocent civilians.

These are the lessons of history. Demagogues fostered ethnic hatred by emphasising real and apparent differences of cultures, traditions and religion, portraying them as uncompromising divisions. This was the result of extreme cultural assertion that led to moral socio-political disintegration.

Cultural integration cannot – and should not – be equated to cultural homogenisation. It is the true appreciation of the concept of richness in diversity, the richness of diversity, that can avoid us a repetition of historical mistakes, of political and moral blunders. In this respect, cultural integration is a means of counteracting the forces of disintegration. The awareness that we share common historical and cultural roots cannot but help us in our voyage of learning to discover shared thoughts and perspectives.

What has to be avoided is the danger of exclusiveness and inward-looking inclinations. The concept of cultural integration demands that we seek active and positive engagement with other cultures and traditions. This is what integration truly is: a quest for knowledge, a journey of intellectual discovery. This is, ultimately, what freedom is all about.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

You may appreciate the fact that defining "Europe" is not an easy task.

A number of states on the European continent have decided to form a socio-political and economic union. A number of other countries, amongst which Malta, have applied to join them.

But Europe is not just the European Union. It is much more.

The Council of Europe, constituted of European nations, from Reykjavik to Moscow, from Helsinki to Valletta, has long been considered to be our maison comune. It comprises forty-three nations, the latest additions being Armenia and Azerbaijan. Our country has been a member of the Council of Europe since Independence and I had the privilege of being a member of its Cultural Committee.

Geographically, it is a continent bordering the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, spreading to the vast Eurasian and African continents. Geographically, Europe spreads beyond frontiers, border-less from Oporto to Vladivostok.

Portugal and Spain, Ireland and the United Kingdom, Norway, Finland and Russia, the Ukraine and Turkey, Cyprus and Malta: geographically we all form part of this great continent.

Apart from the physical synthesis, Europe encompasses a unique heritage of values built on centuries of great historical and cultural achievements, upon the ashes of conflict and strife. Links in history have woven a web of intricate and complex bonds between the various peoples and cultures of Europe, and beyond. This has produced a rich melange of ideas, ideals and values, of visions and traditions.

The values born of the cultures of Europe today have been recognised and adopted by the international community at large. One can say that Europe has propagated the diffusion of fundamental values, namely democracy and the rule of law, the respect of human rights and dignity, tolerance, mutual respect of cultures and traditions, and universal solidarity. This represents a heritage that transcends temporal concerns. This is a heritage around which all actors in a globalised world can continue building a common future.

It is a heritage that owes a lot to the thought of eminent writers, philosophers, artists and men of vision that have contributed significantly to the cultural complexion that the old continent enjoys today.

From Socrates to Virgil, from St. Augustine to Dante Alighieri, from Machiavelli to Goethe, from Giotto to Beethoven, from Dostoevsky to Sartre, from Salvador de Madariaga to Vaclav Havel, from Antoni Gaud'? to Ivo Andric, from Averroes to John Maynard Keynes : this is our common heritage which we recognise as our cultural and intellectual roots, this is a heritage which we look to as our cultural foundations.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are here gathered in Malta, an island in the middle of the Mediterranean that has a history as ancient as the dawn of civilisation, moulded by events and influences from all littorals of this sea. We are proud of our heritage, being both Mediterranean and European; Mediterranean in geography, temperament and experience; European in forma mentis, culture and tradition.

I believe that this country, crossroad of civilisations, has actively demonstrated, through history and in this age of globalisation, the complimentarity of different cultures.

We are living testimony to the concept of cultural – which is inevitably cross-cultural – integration.

Thank you.