An occasion not to be wasted

The European Union has established 2008 as the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. Since its birth under the Treaty of Rome in 1957, the EU has risen from 6 to 27 member countries, enlarged its frontiers, and opened itself up to influxes of immigrants, old and new, speaking a great variety of languages. Europe is beginning to be a great intercultural society. This is the foundation of the European Year of Dialogue that has just begun. In this connection we propose a message from the President of the European Parliament, Hans Gert Poettering.There’s a great need for peace and for dialogue in the world. Thanks to the commitment of many, Europe seems to have left behind it a difficult phase. By starting the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon which ought to be completed by the end of 2008, the 27 member states of the European Union have in fact decided to continue their onward journey together, not only in respect for the cultural diversities that characterise them and that represent a genuine source of enrichment, but also in the name of a common sentiment that has matured in them through the centuries, thanks also to the various expressions of culture. The entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty could mark a turning point in this process. It will greatly depend on how this text, together with the Charter of Fundamental Rights, is implemented in the years ahead to make the process of Europe stable and irreversible. The disaffection towards Europe among citizens is part of a more general sense of disarray in the face of globalization, in a world in which uncertainties and causes of anxiety are growing. In this framework of uncertainty, the European peoples are now regarding with renewed interest such basic values as the social advances they have achieved, the traditions of the territory to which they belong, and their own roots. At the same time the widespread consciousness remains that only Europe can contribute to solving the challenges of a political and economic character that our societies must tackle. After the terrible terrorist attacks of recent years, the questions of security and the fight against clandestine immigration have won a leading place in the political agenda, in particular of Mediterranean policy, point of encounter between Europe and the countries of the Islamic area. But it cannot be forgotten that the causes of tensions and of emigration on a vast scale include the hunger, injustice and degradation that are afflicting the poor areas of the world. The European Parliament continues to work to ensure that the Union is able to make its own voice heard on the international level, in the consciousness that there’s a need for a Europe that places itself at the service of peace and of a new and more balanced world order. In this sense, and in this more general context, the Year of Intercultural Dialogue is really an occasion not to be wasted.