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Interview with Walter Schwimmer on the occasion of the presentation of his book “Der Traum Europa” in Moscow

Interview (02.09.2003)

Question: Your book is to be presented in Russian in Moscow on 5 September. Is there a particular reason for this premiere in Russia?

Walter Schwimmer: Russia is the largest Council of Europe member state. Russia is also a member state to which I have devoted a great deal of my attention, both in my previous position as member of the Parliamentary Assembly and as Secretary General. Russia was admitted to the Organisation in the very first week of my chairmanship of the Assembly’s EPP group, and as Secretary General I have dealt both with the reform process in Russia as a whole and with the restoration of democracy, the rule of law and human rights in the Chechen Republic. I therefore welcomed the offer from the OLMA-PRESS publishing house to publish my book now in Russian.

Question: Will there be other language versions?

Walter Schwimmer: Of course. The German edition will be published one month later and the next editions will probably be in the Council of Europe’s official languages, English and French. But there may well be others after that: Europe’s remarkable linguistic diversity is an asset that should be preserved.

Question: In your book you write about your path to Europe, to the Council of Europe, and your work as Secretary General. Did your perspective on your European career, and in particular your period at the Council of Europe, change during the writing of the book?

Walter Schwimmer: Perspectives obviously change once you have a much clearer idea of what others should be doing and also, of course, of what you yourself could be doing, and then it really does become a challenge to do that. But the crucial element, my dream of a peaceful, democratic Europe in which people have freedom of decision, are aware of their rights, and can be sure of their rights, has remained the same. Thankfully, we have already gone a long way towards achieving that goal, but work remains to be done, and playing a part in that process is still a fascinating opportunity.

Question: The book is also about the Schwimmer family’s European history. What message would you like to give European citizens, the Europe of today?

Walter Schwimmer: Whatever we are and have been, we are all Europeans. We have our own specific identities, of which we can be proud, as I am happy today to be a citizen of Vienna and Austria, although my ancestors came from Alsace in France, from Slovakia and from the Czech Republic. But the awareness of my European origins gives me close emotional ties not only with Hochstatt near Mulhouse and Moravski Sveti Jan, but with all Europeans. The lesson from all the sad events in family history, which is something common to all Europeans, must be love and attachment for one’s home country, but not nationalism or chauvinism.

Question: What parts of the book do you recommend that readers begin with?

Walter Schwimmer: That is really a question of personal preference. Those who share my love of history will start with Chapter 1. Those who are impatient to know about the latest developments in European integration will start with the last chapter. Those who are more interested in ideas should perhaps start with the waking dreams of statesmen, or go even further back to Baroness Bertha von Suttner’s dream of eternal peace or Count Coudenhove-Calergi’s dream of Pan-Europe. My children will perhaps start with the family history and my own career. The book has something for everyone!