Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,

At the outset, I would like to wish you warm welcome and express my satisfaction with the organization of the Pan-European Union Conference. I hope you had fruitful discussions and you could enjoy the beauty and hospitality of Macedonia, something we are widely recognized for.

Respected,

The Pan-European Union continuously supports the development, deepening and enlargement of its conceptual daughter, the European Union. In this regard, the Pan-European Union contributed to the achievement of the most recent agreement, the Lisbon Treaty, which is considered a step forward in the direction of geographical and political unification of the whole of Europe within the European Union. Following the Lisbon Treaty, the EU tends to be a relevant factor and actor in the international relations. This would be neither easy nor realistically feasible, without openness towards what is a natural part of the broader and common European space.

Today Europe is recovering from the great economic crisis. In time of challenges, when there is uncertainty, when personal capacities and potentials are revised, when Europe is urged once again to undertake a joint action to face the problems, it is necessary to persist on the right track. Therefore, the economic recovery of Europe should not be detrimental to the vision of united Europe. We should not allow the Kalergie’s torch for European unification to extinguish, a torch that passed on to Oto von Habsburg. The economic recovery must take into account the vision of the Pan-European Union, the vision of the creators of Europe.

With the Lisbon Treaty, the European Union has developed a new steering-wheel which will enable the European ship safer maneuver in the global waters. The Pan-European Union has the role of the compass, which, regardless of the challenges and storms ahead, always shows the right direction in which the EU should go to, the direction which Europe should strive to. Today, this compass consistently points to the Southeast of Europe.


Distinguished,

By spreading the idea of a united Europe, we best fight for the European values and ideals, freedom, democracy, rule of law, but also prohibition of the violation of individual rights to identity and dignity. This is the recipe of the European reconciliation, unification and unity based on solid ground.

Europe, which is based on these values, should remain faithful to the great vision of a united and open continent. Therefore, we encourage our European partners, in their approach towards Macedonia, to remain consistent and principled. We encourage them to use more frequently the compass of unity and unification. The Lisbon Treaty offers a chance. In the name of common future, in the name of the legacy of those who worked on unification, today's European leadership should demonstrate its vision and seize the opportunity.

At the end, I am pleased that today a true friend of Macedonia is presented with the “Boris Trajkovski” award, a friend who, for more than two decades has strongly supported Macedonia’s independence and the right for self-determination, national identity and welfare of its people. Mr. Bernd Posselt is following his political ideas, principles and ideals consequently and not under the influence of the daily politics. He is a strong voice in the European Parliament for the right of the all the smaller European Nations on their identity and integrity. The symbolism is even greater since Mr. Bernd Posselt is my personal friend and was a personal friend of the late President Trajkovski. A President, who by his lifelong commitment, may be included among the creators of a new and united Europe. A vision shared both by Mr. Posselt and the Pan-European Union.

Thank you