Dear speech-fans and -friends,
Over the summer, two major European figures
passed away: Helmut Kohl and Simone Veil. Their lives inspired eulogies that
stand out as they provide an opportunity to stand back and reflect on what
ultimately matters, celebrate values and achievements, and share a vision of
what unites us. Little surprise that several quotes in this selection come from
these epideictic speeches.
Our shared interest for great speeches has found an unusual space on TV this summer. The European TV channel Arte has a special series on great speeches, available en français : Les grands discours und natürlich auch auf Deutsch: Grosse Reden.
You will find more quotes, tips and books on: logospathosethos.eu
Isabelle
Vision
The history of
her life is the history of our continent, the history of a continent torn
apart, lost, which experienced the worst atrocities of which humanity is
capable, but which, like her, found the strength to rise up again, to rebuild
itself and to be reborn.
In her inaugural
speech, which she gave on 17 July 1979, she showed that she grasped the true
nature of the responsibility on her shoulders.
This is what she
said: ‘For this is the first
time in history, a history in which we have so frequently been divided, pitted
one against the other, bent on mutual destruction, that the people of Europe
have together elected their delegates to a common assembly . Let there be no
doubt, these elections form a milestone on the path of Europe, the most
important since the signing of the Treaties’.
In a 23-minute
speech, she set out, with exceptional clear-sightedness, a vision for the
development of our Parliament over the next 40 years.
I urge you to
read the speech, if you have not already done so, because it seems to me to be
remarkably topical. You will find in it enthusiasm, hopes, expectations, the
ambitions of a whole generation of men and women who sat on these benches
before us and who we should all take as our inspiration.
Read the speech (available in 20 languages): Antonio Tajani, Formal European Parliament ceremony in honour of Simone Veil, 4 July 2017
As the President of the European Parliament urges us to read Simone Veil’s inaugural speech, you can read here the original in French, and here in English. You can also watch her delivering this speech.
The
power of the ‘Why’ question
I ask you to think about something not in
my notes. I was looking around this crowd today, and all of us who used to be in
office, all of us who came. Why ?
Because Helmut Kohl gave us the chance to
be involved in something bigger than ourselves, bigger than our terms of
office, bigger than our fleeting careers, because all of us, sooner or later,
will be in a coffin like that.
Watch the speech: Bill Clinton, Personal farewell to Helmut
Kohl, 1 July 2017
Emotion
I am
probably the only person in this room who saw Helmut Kohl cry during a meeting.
It was on 13 December 1997. On that day, the European Council, under my
chairmanship in Luxembourg, decided to enlarge the European Union to eastern
and central Europe and to Cyprus and Malta. During lunch, Helmut Kohl asked for
permission to speak — which was unusual, because he usually just took the
floor. He asked to speak during lunch and said, choking back the tears, that
that day, on which accession negotiations began, was one of the finest moments
of his life. That he, as German Federal Chancellor, was able to witness that
historic integration of Europe – after all the harm, as he said, that Germany
had inflicted on Europe. Then he went quiet, internally at peace, and cried for
many minutes. He was not the only one. No one was ashamed of their tears.
Europe at its best!
Read the speech: Jean-Claude Juncker, European ceremony of honour for
Helmut Kohl, 1 July 2017
Multiple identities - I
As a European, a
Pole and someone from Gdańsk in equal measure, I feel particularly well placed
to say a few words of farewell to Helmut Kohl, honorary citizen of Europe and
honorary citizen of Gdańsk. It is no coincidence that my home town, the town in
which the Solidarity movement had its roots, decided to
bestow that title on the late Chancellor Kohl (…).
Helmut
Kohl's contribution to the process of building mutual understanding was
momentous. It is thanks to him, as well as others, that words such as 'trust'
and 'reconciliation' became meaningful once more in Franco-German and
German-Polish relations.
Read the speech: Donald Tusk, European ceremony of honour for Helmut
Kohl, 1 July 2017
Multiple identities - II
The Ulster poet
John Hewitt famously spoke of his multiple identities - as an Ulsterman of
planter stock, as Irish, as British and as European.
He believed that
we all have multiple identities, it's what makes us what we are.
This is a
strength, not a weakness; an opportunity, not a threat.
It is something
we should embrace about ourselves and about others, not something we should see
as an impurity or a means of exclusion.
It is at the very
heart of the Good Friday Agreement - the right of the people of Northern
Ireland to be British, or Irish, or both.
And,
of course, the right to be European.
Read the speech: Leo Varadkar, The Future of Relationships
North and South, 4 August 2017
Storytelling
It is my real pleasure to welcome you today to
Lisbon and to host this event. I am particularly proud of the setting, which
could not be more relevant. Portugal's history is so intertwined with the history of the
Atlantic Ocean. My first memories as a child are overlooking the ocean with my
father hand in hand.
My father used to
tell me stories about the oceans, scientists and philosophers. …
For the full story, read the speech: Carlos Moedas, Signing of the Belém Statement, 13 July 2017
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