Van Rompuy spreekt tijdens persconferentie bij Nobel Instituut in Oslo (en)

EUROPEAN COUNCIL THE PRESIDT

Oslo, 9 December 2012

Remarks by President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy i at the press conference at the Nobel Institute in Oslo

We've come to Oslo to celebrate a major achievement: how Europe turned from a continent of war into a continent of peace

One moment proved crucial. Only five years after the end of World War II, two rival countries decided to change the course of history, and from enemies to become partners. They invited all European countries to join

At the time the success of the enterprise seemed quite improbable. Today we are a strong Union with 27 members, and soon more. It is a proof of the power of political will and imagination

But for us, this Prize is not only a tribute for past achievements. It is also a call to continue to jointly shape our future

That's why among the official EU delegation we have invited young Europeans. To come to Oslo, they took part in a EU-wide contest. The youngest won with a drawing, the three others wrote a short text. One winner is from Malta, he is here in the room. His message sums up the Union's history very well: "My grandparents would have said 'a dream'. My parents would have said 'a process'. I say that it's my everyday reality!"

Europe is going through a difficult period. We are working hard, jointly as a Union and in all individual countries, to overcome these problems. I'm sure we will succeed. We will come out of this time of uncertainty and recession, stronger than we were before

Our history proves that we have enough strength and resilience to keep going forward in a spirit of responsibility and solidarity. We want Europe to become again a symbol of hope