Excellences, distinguished guests,
I am delighted to welcome you all in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, as participants of the Conference of Speakers of European Union Parliaments.
I am pleased to note that this is the first time the Speakers of the Eastern Partnership countries take part in the Conference of Speakers of European Union Parliaments. Their participation today is symbolic and bears more relevance than ever before.
Ladies and gentlemen,
During the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Lithuania strove to complete every meeting by adopting conclusions, a political and non-binding document. We hope that this will become an established practice and that it will be continued in future.
I have no doubt that we will discuss matters of relevance to entire Europe at the Conference tomorrow and that it will be an enriching and interesting exercise lending itself to the expression of a variety of opinions. This is a common feature of parliamentary democracy. As experienced politicians, we are well aware that the truth is born in discussion and in search for a compromise.
As fellow parliamentarians, we are all united by a common purpose to serve the people in our respective countries. The mandate of our voters entitles us to a great responsibility not only for the wellbeing of the people in individual states, but also for ensuring stability and security all across the united Europe and in its neighbouring countries.
In paraphrase of the French playwright Molière Jean Batiste, I want to note that as politicians we clearly understand that we are accountable to our voters not only for our deeds, but also for our failure to act.
Therefore, before I conclude, I want to emphasise that Europe is able to pull its act together, even at the most difficult of times, summon inner strength from common values and ideas and demonstrate that unrealistic assignments and insurmountable difficulties simply do not exist.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I want to remind you that this significant and important event completes the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Therefore, I take this opportunity to commend Lithuania for having passed the test and for having successfully handed over the Presidency to our fellow colleagues in Greece. I wish every success to the Greek Presidency of the Council of the European Union during this important and demanding time.
I wish us all a successful Conference. Have a splendid evening.
