Mr President, Fellow Speakers, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honour for me, on behalf of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, also represented today by the political group leaders and a number of members of national delegations, to open this conference held in the stunning Scandinavian capital of Oslo. Like all our cities, Oslo changes, becoming increasingly multicultural and vibrant, with new buildings such as the Opera House showcasing the importance of culture.
It is also an honour to be in Oslo, the home of the Nobel Peace Prize and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Mr Jagland, Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and former Speaker of the Storting.
The choice of Oslo and Norway for this European Conference of Presidents is not by hazard. As we have heard from Mr Thommessen, President of the Storting, this year we celebrate the bicentenary of Norway's Constitution, the oldest written constitution, so I would like to congratulate and thank our hosts and say, in Norwegian,"Gratulerer med dagen" which of course means "happy birthday".
Birthdays are happy events, but they are also points in time to mark where we are, where we have come from and where we are going. We tend to remember them.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In my speech I would like to make some comments on the three highly pertinent topics chosen for this Conference in the light of current challenges facing Parliaments across Europe.
Theme 1 concerns fundamental constitutional rights and freedoms – participation, trust and public debate as conditions for democracy.
The European Convention on Human Rights is now one of the anchor points in the constitutional framework of Europe. The future accession of the European Union to the Convention will further strengthen its role and place in the constitutional architecture of Europe.
The role of the Convention cannot however be taken for granted, and the discussions today around "participation, trust and public debate" apply equally to the Convention. Why do I raise this? It is because I see dangers posed to the Convention, not by the backlog which is being cleared, but by the non-implementation of certain, albeit few, judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, and some of the very worrying political debates and reports in the media concerning the case law of the Court. These debates and articles cannot be ignored, particularly when they are based on misinformation. Parliamentarians have a responsibility to ensure that in any debate of this nature that they speak out and correct misinformation and lead the debate and not succumb to it.
Theme 2 concerns democracy, sovereignty and security in Europe
At our last meeting, two years ago, we spoke about democracy in crisis and we also had in the back of our minds, the economic crisis affecting us all. Two years on we are facing the additional crisis of sovereignty and security in Europe.
I cannot underestimate the dangers I see from the developing conflict in Ukraine and the involvement of Russia, including its annexation of the Crimea, which is unacceptable. You will be aware of the difficult decision taken by the Parliamentary Assembly to sanction the Russian Delegation by suspending certain of its rights, including its voting rights. The Assembly did not however close the door to dialogue, and in this context, the Presidential Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly held an exchange of views last week with Mr Naryshkin, the Speaker of the Russian State Duma in Paris.
Unfolding events in Ukraine, and other parts of Europe, are some of the most serious challenges Europe has faced since the Cold War. Thus, it is essential to discuss these during the conference.
The dangers are not only military, they are humanitarian, social and economic and they can and will affect all of us, unless we stand together to find solutions.
The conflict in Ukraine has a ripple effect throughout Europe leading to further tensions in areas affected by so called "frozen conflicts". We have already seen this recently in the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. We as political leaders must do everything to ensure the ripples do not become a Black Sea Tsunami. We have all seen the paintings of "The scream" by Edvard Munch, the first of which was painted 121 years ago. Let us not understand these as a premonition of the future.
Theme 3 concerns "Majority and opposition – striking a balance in democracy".
This, I am sure, will have a particular appeal for all of us. Most of us - if not all - have, in the wake of our careers, spent time on the opposition benches. We are thus fully aware of the eagerness of the opposition to present opinions contrary to those of the government in place. This is not only legitimate, it is part of the rights and duties of the opposition and is a determinant of the democratic character of our institutions.
Controversial debates, questioning from the opposition and counterweights and counterbalances are needed in a lively and healthy democracy.
However, as Presidents of your parliament you are better placed than anyone to know how delicate the exercise of striking a balance between majority and opposition may be. It is your duty to be impartial in running the business of your parliament.
If I can add, at this point, it is also your responsibility to ensure the attendance of your Delegations to the Parliamentary Assembly and that substitute members, often members of the opposition, be given the chance to take part in committee meetings and not be excluded for political or budgetary reasons.
In our discussions, let us not forget that both the majority and the opposition not only have rights, but that they also have responsibilities. A respectful dialogue is the key towards a constructive discussion, as compromise is often needed to reach an agreement.
In looking at this subject we will certainly draw on our discussions in Limassol in June 2010 on the issue of "Rights and Responsibilities of the Opposition in Parliament."
There is however one issue that I believe it is essential for the majority and opposition to speak out on; in one voice. That is Hate Speech. You may be aware that yesterday the President of the Storting and I issued a statement saying, "We as Parliamentarians, have the responsibility to stand up and speak out against hatred. The fight against xenophobia, racism and mounting nationalistic extremism requires a resolute response from all democratic parties, over and above political divisions."
We also invited you as Presidents of Parliaments across Europe to support the idea of a European Day of remembrance for victims of hate crime and proposing 22 July to mark the day of the haunting tragedy of the massacre in Utøya and the bombing in Oslo.
Mr President, Fellow Speakers, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to end by saying a few words, not only about what brings these three themes together, but also what bring us together for this Conference.
We can debate the issues on the programme, we can come forward with standards and mechanisms for implementation, but all of this will not guarantee success.
We must not lose sight of our "responsibility", not just to those who elected us, but those who did not vote for us. We need "judgment" in all things we do, an ability to "listen" also to voices we don't want to hear. We have to have large doses of "good will and patience" and one thing I believe is crucial, is we have to have "intellectual honesty" to do the right thing when decisions are difficult.
We are in a world where often we cannot see eye to eye, but we have to face each other. We have to talk, then to listen. We have to understand the other person's point of view. We must be ready to compromise and then hopefully we can reach agreement and see eye to eye.
Let me stress that the corridors of this Conference offer a unique opportunity for not just facing each other, but taking all those steps which allow us to see eye to eye. Your presence in large numbers at the conference shows a willingness and commitment to tackle Europe's challenges together.
Thank you.