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Speech by Mr Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Ambassador Thiele,
Excellencies,
Colleagues and friends,

Ich freue mich, heute Abend wieder bei Ihnen zu sein, um gemeinsam die deutsche Einheit zu feiern.

This evening has a special place in my calendar because what we celebrate tonight is something remarkable: a peaceful revolution.

Thirty-six years ago, Germany became one country again.
It began in the autumn of 1989. In the streets of Leipzig, Dresden and East Berlin.
People came out with candles and they said four words: Wir sind das Volk. We are the people.
 

Those words were the first cracks that brought down the wall.

Less than a year later, Germany was reunited.
Millions of East Germans could at last take their place in a Europe of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. And the door they opened did not close behind them. Many countries from Eastern Europe followed and joined the Council of Europe.

Today, new lines of division are appearing. We see them across our continent.
In 1989, people made themselves heard. Today, anyone can speak to the whole world with a single click. But too often, we speak only to those who already agree with us.
 

And so, many people feel that nobody is listening.
We see it at the ballot box, in many of our member states. In Germany too, last month.
Every vote is a message.

Citizens' voices must come back into our democracies.
That is why we are working on a New Democratic Pact for Europe.
To turn that dialogue into action, in every one of our member states.
No country can do this alone. We need each other.

Few understood this better than Konrad Adenauer.
This year, we mark one hundred and fifty years since his birth. Since yesterday, an exhibition in Berlin imagines him on a cloud, looking down on our world. If he is watching tonight, he will see a country united.

Something he hoped for but did not live to see. Germany joined the Council of Europe while he was Chancellor.
On our fifth birthday, in 1954, he said:
„Wir dürfen in unseren Anstrengungen nicht nachlassen und müssen allen Widerständen zum Trotz die Einheit Europas verwirklichen.“
Do not let up. Whatever the resistance. Make Europe one.

Keeping Europe whole in times of rupture is our priority.
When Foreign Minister Wadephul came here last week, we spoke about what regional organisations can offer in times of rupture.
Part of our answer is accountability.
We have built a Register of Damage and a Claims Commission for Ukraine.
And we are also working on a Special Tribunal.
Germany supports each of them.
And it intends to ratify the Claims Commission Convention before the end of this year.

Dear friends,
In 1989, candles were stronger than a wall.
Germany showed that courage can change history.
Today, we need the same courage.
To listen.
And to keep the light on.
Thank you.