Chairman of Europe returns to his Alma Mater
Alumnus Herman Van Rompuy opens 'Lectures for the 21st Century'
On 22 November, Herman Van Rompuy briefly returned to the university where, forty years ago, he studied law, economics and philosophy. The Permanent Chair of the European Council delivered the first of the interfaculty 'Lectures for the 21st Century' and demonstrated that he is an eloquent advocate of the European ideal.
Before the lecture, we asked him which question he has not been asked over the past year, which was replete with media attention. “Whether I am happy,” was the laconic answer. Inspired, we asked: “And are you?” “I maintain more distance from what I do, more even than in the past. That keeps things livable. The physical pressure and busyness have increased, so I have to take my distance to avoid being swamped. When I was prime minister, I occasionally had half a day off. That is something I cannot even consider now.”
"You must first love your age before you can really commit to it and possibly change the things you don’t like."
“It started on my very first day at the beginning of January. My secretary, my Head of Cabinet Frans Van Daele (who is also chair of Alumni Lovanienses – ed.) and I walked into the building where my office was supposed to be. Supposed to be. It was rather disappointing. After about an hour, I asked someone for a glass of water. The person directed me to the water fountain around the corner... That illustrates how new my position was: nothing was provided for except a very general job description in the European treaty texts. I had to develop the logistics of the job incredibly quickly to be able to start properly. I also had to delineate the position in terms of its content. I immediately started investing in ‘networking’ – informal but regular contacts, with Chair of the Commission Barroso for example, and with the rotating chair of the council, the sectoral councils, etc.”
“My work wasn’t made easier by the beginning of the Greek crisis in my first weeks on the job. The crisis resulted in enormous tensions in the eurozone. One of the many consequences was that instead of the four planned meetings of the council in 2010, there were seven.” “Europe, like all political spheres, is located at the crossroads of interests and principles. The original ideas of the founding fathers of Europe – dating from the ‘50s – have not been lost, but as in any construction sustained by idealism, there is a certain shift to a modus vivendi. Does this involve calculation; a conflict of interests? Absolutely. But that doesn’t necessarily have to be negative. Europe has become too large to be grounded solely on great ideals. Moreover, we maintain our national identities in our European construction. Consequently, it is impossible to avoid the involvement of national interests. But we must co-operate with each other because it is the only way to the future that we want. This awareness keeps individual national interests in balance and promotes the communal character of our operations.”
“You can overemphasise the negative traits of any period. But doing that serves nobody. On the other hand, I am very much aware that il faut épouser son temps (one must be wedded to one’s time – ed.). What I mean by that is that you must first love your age before you can really commit to it and possibly change the things you don’t like. If you turn away from your own time full of disgust, even if there may be good reasons to do so at first sight, you forget that the real issue is the time of your children, the next generation. It is wrong to turn away from that without trying to change it.”
Has he, as the first teacher of a Lecture for the 21st Century, learnt any lessons from the 20th century? “The first half of the 20th century was a succession of terrible low points: two world wars, an enormous economic crisis, national egotism, you name it. The second half of the century, however, yielded remarkably noble results, accompanied by unequalled economic progress, far-reaching literacy; progress on almost all levels in fact. And Europe!”
Van Rompuy naturally treated the latter subject at some length in his lecture. Europe grew from the ideals of reconciliation and generous solidarity, but also on the foundations of realism and common sense. This resulted in a gradual and yet very tangible first series of successes. Later, at the end of the Cold War, there was a second breakthrough, through which the European Union was able to grow with a large number of former Eastern bloc countries. Van Rompuy situates the next turning point in 1999, when the awareness grew that Europe was a ‘Europe of values’, rather than merely a geographical fact.
According to Van Rompuy, there are forces which are diametrically opposed to what Europe embodies. Populism, for example, may lead to a new form of nationalism; no longer the old country-against-country, but a kind of collective negative feeling of ‘us against them’. There is nothing wrong with a positive identification with a certain group, but if and when this collective feeling only exists to isolate yourself from others out of fear or ignorance, it becomes dangerous. The ‘calculating citizen’ – one who constantly questions what things either cost or yield – is an easy target for such ideology. This can be prevented by vital, even if only minimal inspiration, which is propagated by politics, among other things. In fact, it is often from these ‘calculating quarters’ that Europe is criticised. And yet, the relevance of Europe is completely self-evident. Without the Euro, for example, a repetition of the great depression in the ‘30s would not have been unthinkable. We overcame this crisis quickly, without protectionism, without competitive devaluations and without the principle of ‘beggar my neighbour’ (a policy that seeks benefits for one country at the expense of others – ed.). More Europe is also the correct response to issues such as climate control, international crime, scientific research, etc.
The European model, which combines a strong economy with strong social security, is unique and we are envied for it. And now, more than ever, it is proving its value. The Europe of the foreseeable future – the next ten years, approximately – must be sustained by the idea of convergence and communal policymaking. That is the only way we will successfully be able to face the many and great challenges awaiting us: our competitive position in the world economy, the issues of migration and multiculturalism, ageing, the dangers of national or group particularism, potential conflicts related to the scarcity of energy, food and natural resources, etc. But, as Chair Van Rompuy concluded his lecture, the human factor, the creativity and energy of human beings, is what ultimately determines everything and makes anything possible. The hope, based on our belief in our own abilities, gives us, Europe, the platform confidently to face the future head on. One thousand people applauded..
