Back 65 years of humanity and a new Europe

(''Kommersant'') , 

By Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

I would like to use the opportunity of the 65th anniversary of the Victory in Europe day to express the deepest gratitude to the soldiers and people of the then Soviet Union for their sacrifice and heroism. They made a decisive contribution to the liberation of Europe and to the defeat of the Nazi regime.

The post-war history was complex and painful, but sixty years on, 47 European countries are united around the values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. This would not have happened, if it were not for the sacrifice of the Russian people and other peoples of the Soviet Union. We owe them our gratitude for the Europe we know today.

During World War II, millions of soldiers and civilians died in some of the worst fighting and hostilities in the history of Europe and, indeed, of the world. More than a million civilians died in the Siege of Leningrad alone. Atrocities committed against civilian populations in many countries further contributed to the suffering and to the death toll.

The Nazi regime conducted a genocide of six million Jewish people on an industrial scale – the Holocaust. Roma people, as well as representatives of other nations and minority groups were also murdered, as they were deemed to be undesirable, along the way. These heinous crimes were possible because the totalitarian state was the only arbiter of life or death.

For the allied nations, for the civilisation of "lumières", there was no other choice but to defeat this barbaric regime. The allies paid an expensive price for the Victory, and the Soviet Army and the Soviet people made an unforgettable contribution to this heroic achievement.

When war ended in Europe, the European allies that clinched the military victory were structurally, economically and socially devastated. Millions of people were left homeless. But victory brought a surge of optimism that concentrated minds and efforts on reconstruction and reconciliation. It ushered in a period of unprecedented peace, growth, and prosperity across the continent, helped in Western Europe at least, by technical assistance and loans from the United States.

Fascism had been defeated in Europe, albeit at immense cost to human life. The dangers of nationalism and dictatorship, and the utter horrors of the Nazi death camps had been revealed, but the question remained – how could European nations ensure that extremism would never again be allowed to gain the upper hand?

Many of Europe's leaders were eager to find ways of creating unity between European nations, so that they would be less likely to go to war against one another. They also looked for effective ways to protect ordinary people from abuse of power and authority by the authorities that governed them, and to protect human beings from the worst excesses of human nature.

In 1949, ten countries, led by Great Britain and France, set up the Council of Europe as a political forum for the new Europe, and signed up to a new set of political values based on democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law.

The European Convention on Human Rights was adopted quickly, and became a driving force for making this vision of a new, liberal, free Europe based on common values, a reality. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, eastern European countries found an open door into this community by entering the Council of Europe. For these countries also, the text of the Convention became a lighthouse to development. Today, some have become members of other European organisations and others not, but they all remain united in a common commitment to our fundamental values through our work at the Council of Europe.

That is why today is a day of humanity. Each of us is bound to make his own choices in life, and in the heart of each and every one of us is the wish to be free, to live in peace and to prosper. Democracy, human rights and the rule of law bring all of this together.

There is nothing more European than the 47 member States' commitment to the text of the European Convention on Human Rights. It simply brings Europe together and gives us our identity as Europeans. It is about values, geography, and how we live together. 65 years on, we must thank all those who fought for our liberty, the simple people - soldiers, sailors, the airmen and women who remained defiant in the face of adversity and against overwhelming odds. They all gave their lives so that we could live ours.