12 March 2010
Y.E. Speakers of Parliaments,
Members of the Community of Democracies Parliamentary Forum
It is a pleasure to see so many of you assembled exactly in this room – the Constitution Hall of the Lithuanian Seimas. The anniversary of the restoration of Lithuania’s independence this year coincides with our chairmanship of the Community of Democracies, an organisation uniting over a hundred democratic states. I believe that it is a remarkable, symbolic, and not an accidental coincidence. I am also convinced that the spirit which guided our struggle for freedom and independence will be preserved and manifest itself in the activities of the Community of Democracies, which in turn will be reinforced by the Parliamentary Forum to be established today.
Unfortunately, in today’s world we clearly witness a democratic recession – the voice of democratic countries within international organisations is becoming weaker, while authoritarian countries promote the advantages of their political, economic, and social model. It is particularly visible in the context of the global economic and financial crisis when protectionist measures applied by the authoritarian countries violate the principles of market economy and mutual dependence while international financial support is used to maintain the viability of undemocratic political regimes.
Changes in the international environment, and in particular the growing tendency of the so-called Realpolitik, stimulate the unfavourable processes. The prevailing policy of coexistence with undemocratic political regimes, as well as the occasional geopolitical exchange between the global powers and the redistribution of the spheres of influence that can be observed, contribute to the freezing of democratic development and the legitimation of authoritarian trends on the national level.
It is therefore the responsibility of the Community of Democracies to search for ways to reverse or at least to mitigate these negative trends. This organisation is a unique body that encompasses the initiatives for democratic development proposed by both governments and non-governmental organizations. The establishment of a parliamentary dimension and the incorporation of the issues of democratic development into the agenda of national parliaments and political parties should further reinforce the potential of the Community.
Based on their knowledge, experience, and belief in democratic ideals, members of the Parliamentary Forum could actively engage in various projects aimed at strengthening democratic institutions and standards. Members of Parliaments should both exchange their experience among themselves and share them with Members of Parliaments of new democracies and democratic forces in authoritarian countries.
This Forum should strive to strengthen the role of the Parliament as a major state institution in ensuring democratic governance. For this purpose, members of the Forum should not only promote free and democratic elections but also contribute to various initiatives and projects aimed at improving parliamentary activities.
It is of key importance for the Community of Democracies to take up the role of a coordinator of cooperation between national parliaments and the European Parliament in order to avoid the overlapping of activities of various countries in the area of strengthening democracy and to ensure that these activities complement each other. The European Union plays a particularly significant role in this field. The EU is a socioeconomic magnet that attracts neighbouring countries regardless of the level of their democratisation and this must be benefited from. Democracy should constitute an integral part of EU’s foreign policy.
By the way, the initiative of democratic development is not only a political investment into the leaders of new democracies or opposition powers in authoritarian countries. Democratisation is often directly related to socioeconomic development and the lack of socioeconomic welfare leads to difficulties in democratic development. We must realise that.
Therefore, if the EU wants more democracy in its neighbourhood, it must open its domestic market as much as possible and conclude Free Trade Agreements that are in the interests of not only prosperous EU Member States but also developing neighbour countries.
In order to emphasise the advantages of its social and economic model, the EU should liberalise its visa regime for neighbouring countries. We should also keep in mind EU’s enlargement policy, since the prospect of EU membership is the best means of promoting reform in neighbouring countries. Certainly, the principle of conditionality has to be observed and EU’s incentives must be clearly linked to the requirements for the reform of the political system, economic restructuring, and democratic standards. We must avoid the situation where neighbouring countries of strategic importance can freely engage in the processes of EU internal market but undertake no substantial commitments and implement no political or economic reforms towards democracy.
Members of the Forum, I wish you an active and interesting discussion, since topics for dialogue are really abundant. My first proposal is to make similar events a tradition. It is my strong wish to make similar parliamentary fora held on the occasion of 11 March an annual event. I believe that this Forum is the first but not the last one. I wish you every success. Thank you.
