Speech by Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Annual Reception for the Diplomatic Corps in Meseberg on 11 July 2016
Nuncio,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am delighted to have the chance to welcome you warmly to Meseberg together with the Federal Foreign Minister, the Minister of State in the Federal Chancellery, and several State Secretaries. I hope that you all found your way here easily. This was rather more difficult back in the days before GPS; today it is somewhat easier.
We would have liked to invite you here last year and the year before that, but unfortunately the weather was bad, so we did not want to ask this of you. Good things take time and the third time is the charm, as the sayings go – and now, the third time, things have worked out without the weather thwarting our plans.
I would definitely like to invite you to come to Meseberg again another time. It is a wonderful place. You can walk around the lake, and the neighbouring hotel is a terrific place to eat and to stay. So if you from the Embassy side want to take an excursion into the countryside some day, Meseberg lends itself as a good travel destination.
Ladies and gentlemen, in comparison to rescheduling a diplomatic reception, it is often much more difficult to react appropriately time after time in the day-to-day business of diplomacy when things happen differently than expected. All of you have experience with seeking new approaches again and again. In many areas it takes a lot of patience and tact to keep lines of communication consistently open despite certain differences and to seek solutions. But the willingness and ability to engage in dialogue have value in and of themselves. This is something that we know all too well against the backdrop of European history.
A few weeks ago French President François Hollande and I stood at the graves of soldiers who lost their lives 100 years ago in the Battle of Verdun. The First World War was the result of diplomatic and political failure. Such visits remind all of us, time and again, that it is better to try one time too many to keep the lines of communication open than one time too few. The fact that we – I mean Germany and France – are able today to commemorate the dead together in friendship is due to the diplomatic skill and political foresight that the fathers and mothers of European unification demonstrated.
For me, the unification of Europe is and remains a priceless stroke of good fortune, to which we owe both our life in peace and freedom and our high standard of living. Together as the European Union, we are better equipped for major tasks of our times than each Member State alone would be. The British referendum has changed nothing about this. The fact that a majority in the United Kingdom has come out in favour of leaving the EU, however, is something that I and the entire Federal Government deeply regret. This decision is a bitter turning point. I remain, however, firmly convinced that the European Union is strong enough to bear this caesura, too.
It is now up to the United Kingdom to communicate its wish to exit officially to the EU. Only then can the process begin. We also agreed on this at the recent European Council. The United Kingdom will have to clarify quickly what form it wants its future relationship with the European Union to take. I can only emphasise from the German side that the United Kingdom is an important partner to which we want to remain closely connected in the future. Of course, however, the EU and the remaining 27 Member States must safeguard their interests. Whoever would like free access to the European single market, for example, will in return have to accept all of the fundamental freedoms, including free movement of persons.
After the referendum, we in Europe certainly cannot simply return to our daily business as usual. We must consider together what lessons we will draw for the further process of European unification. This will start with a special meeting in Bratislava in September. Naturally, many people are asking whether the answer lies with “more” or “less” of Europe. In my view, such a discussion falls short. We need a successful Europe. This is the goal that we must pursue. We must increase Europe’s competitive strength and bolster its research and innovation in order not only to maintain our position in promising economic sectors, but also to set standards ourselves as Europeans. This is also a necessary condition for us to be able to offer our young people better future prospects than we can today, for far too many people in Europe are affected by unemployment right now. We need structural reforms. We need sound finances. And, above all, we need energy and drive to truly advance innovation.
When we met in this group a year ago, I had come from Brussels the day before. Once again, the European Heads of State and Government had been dealing with the so-called Euro crisis. It was clear to everyone that there could be no simple solution process. But at that time we agreed on a path nonetheless. And I can say today that we have indeed made progress. Things work better together – this is the conviction that sustains Europe.
A year ago, a new challenge was already looming, one that has put precisely this European community spirit to the test again: Refugees have fled their homes in large numbers due to war, violence and lack of opportunity, to seek protection elsewhere or to start an entirely new life. In August 2015, for the first time, more than 100,000 refugees arrived in the Greek islands via Turkey. This was the beginning of an unprecedented refugee flow via the so-called Western Balkan route to central and northern Europe.
Taking in and caring for so many people in such a brief period has been an enormous effort. We in Germany know this from our own experience. Our country has offered protection to hundreds of thousands of men, women and children. In doing so, we are and have been able to depend on many professional and volunteer helpers, who have clearly risen to the occasion. But at this point I also want to thank all of the countries neighbouring Iraq and Syria that have taken in refugees. Europe has not taken in the most refugees; rather, it is countries such as Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan which are particularly affected.
In the past year, however, we have also learned that we must budget our energies. This means that we have to focus on those people who are truly in need of protection, which is why I have stressed our three essential objectives from the outset: we want to reduce the number of refugees, noticeably and permanently; we want to replace illegal migration with legal migration and remove the foundation for the people smugglers’ inhuman business; and we want to create a shared solution. The EU-Turkey Agreement meets these requirements. Since its implementation, far fewer refugees have been undertaking the dangerous journey across the Aegean.
But, of course, this does not mean that the problem has disappeared from the world. On the contrary: the number of refugees and internally displaced persons worldwide has sadly reached a new record level. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates more than 65 million worldwide now. This unimaginable number in itself makes clear that we as a global community are needed here. That is why Germany held a conference on Syria at the beginning of this year together with the United Kingdom, Kuwait, Norway and the United Nations. The meeting in London set new standards for international support. Firstly, we were able to raise more than twelve billion US dollars to improve the situation of Syrian refugees. Secondly, the conference also initiated changes in the countries taking in refugees in the region. They have gradually opened up their labour markets to refugees and offered school places to children. What Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan are accomplishing here, as I’ve said before, truly merits respect.
In the course of the Supporting Syria & the Region Conference, Germany pledged 2.3 billion euros – 1.3 billion of it for 2016 alone. This made Germany the largest donor, but many other countries also announced generous help. But the most important thing now is for the money truly to reach people. We have seen that families could scarcely endure the situation when the funds for their food rations were lowered from 30 dollars per person per month, which is already very little, to 13 dollars.
Of course, remedying the causes of flight and displacement is even better than mitigating their effects. That is why we continue to focus our efforts on bringing peace to the conflict in Syria. Our Federal Foreign Minister is intensely involved in this. The basis for a political transformation process is that the agreed ceasefire is respected and that it is possible for the millions of internally displaced persons to receive assistance. There must be an end to the use of outlawed weapons such as barrel bombs. There must be an end to targeted attacks on hospitals and humanitarian personnel. There must be an end to starvation policy.
We have a changed situation in Syria as a result of Russian intervention on the side of the Assad regime. Naturally, we therefore expect Moscow also to be intensely involved in finding a viable political solution. Fortunately, talks are underway. Consultations with the United States are also being held. I hope that by the time of a reception like this one next year, the situation in Syria will be better than it is now.
Whether in Syria or elsewhere, the fight against the so-called Islamic State will go on. We must systematically remove the raison d’être of its followers, so that the seed of hatred can no longer sprout. The victims of the recent attacks in Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh, in Baghdad and Istanbul, admonish us to do this. At this point I would like to recall the victims of the cowardly attacks in Brussels and Paris once again.
After the terrorist attacks in its capital, France invoked the EU mutual assistance clause. This was the first time that any Member State had exercised this option from the Treaty of Lisbon. As a consequence of this, Germany, among other countries, has expanded its military engagement against IS. IS has since lost large parts of the territory it had acquired in Syria and Iraq. We support the Iraqi Government in enabling refugees to return to the areas that have been liberated. The task here is, above all, to reconstruct vital infrastructures.
At the same time, we must prevent terrorist gangs from taking advantage of the unstable situation in Libya in order to proliferate there. Germany and the European Union are strongly committed to making it possible for solid state structures to be established in this afflicted country. The Libyan Political Agreement of last December was an important incremental success. It was negotiated by UN Special Representative Martin Kobler. The situation in the country, however, remains highly tense. We need more recognition and support for the unity government. This also applies to constructing a new security architecture, of course.
There is scarcely any country today that can be observed in isolation. That is why our horizon extends beyond Libya to the entire region. The streams of refugees from various countries across the central Mediterranean are only one more reason for this. When we see how many people have already drowned in the Mediterranean, despite our utmost efforts to save human lives, we can see that time is running very short.
Germany and the European Union will expand their migration partnerships in Africa. This is a twofold approach. Firstly, it is to better secure the borders, to effectively curb people smuggling and illegal migration and to facilitate repatriation. Secondly, we must help to improve the opportunities that are available to people in their own home countries. We are prepared to do so, but what we expect of our partners – if I may say so – is responsible governance and willingness to engage in positive cooperation.
The European Union has now become an internationally recognised actor through its broad-ranging involvement worldwide. There is still room, however, for it to live up to its increased responsibility even more. What is pivotal here is our European Common Security and Defence Policy. This can be shaped in an even more effective and strongly results-oriented way. We must develop both civilian and military capacities. This is to be regarded not as competing with NATO, but as supplementing it. It was also very good that the EU and NATO concluded a cooperation agreement at the last NATO Summit in Warsaw.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has been and remains crucially important to us. Together, the members defend the values and principles that have shaped our post-war order and secured us a life in peace and freedom. The day before yesterday, we returned from the two-day NATO Summit in Warsaw. There were three strong messages. Firstly, we underscored solidarity within the alliance. Security is indivisible. This commitment is the main pillar of the Euro-Atlantic security architecture. Secondly, we committed ourselves to doing our part to deal with challenges such as collapsing states, terrorism and civil war. The alliance has a vested interest in stabilising the situation in the European neighbourhood. Thirdly, NATO reaffirmed its offers of dialogue to Russia. Yes, there are differences. But this makes it all the more important for us to exchange views and to speak to each other, not about each other. We are interested in serious, results-oriented talks.
It is a good thing that a NATO-Russia Council will be taking place on Wednesday. Of course, this talk will particularly address Ukraine and the Ukraine conflict. This conflict cannot be resolved militarily. But it can be resolved through political, peaceful and diplomatic means. The Minsk agreements continue to show the way towards this. What is decisive now is implementation. Some steps have been taken, but many still lie ahead of us. As a partner in the “Normandy” format, Germany joins France in supporting the work of the trilateral contact group. We seek to continue mediating. Germany is also using its OSCE Chairmanship this year to work out viable approaches to solutions.
Security policy issues also play a role in our work as the G7 and the G20. While these have traditionally been economic and financial policy forums, global challenges such as geopolitical conflicts, climate change and epidemics undoubtedly also have an impact on economic trends and prospects. In view of our many interdependencies, it is crucial not just to react to undesirable developments. Risks must also be identified as early as possible, foreseeable consequences must be analysed, and effective precautionary measures must be taken. It is therefore important to create an international framework with principles and rules and to strengthen the institutions that enforce this framework.
At the end of the year, Germany will take over the G20 Presidency from China. One key priority will be taking up the central idea of the social market economy. This means that we want to put more emphasis on economic competitive strength and social responsibility as a single unit, for the two of them are mutually dependent in their form and development.
Along with fundamental issues of regulatory policy, we will of course go into greater thematic detail. We also want to pick up on some of the initiatives that we have already launched under the German G7 Presidency. These include, for example, the area of health. We are thinking, among other things, of conducting a pandemic drill. We are also keen to work on a common approach to antibiotic resistance. And we will be discussing the crosscutting theme of digitalisation, as increasing interconnectedness will still entail many profound changes – in production, in trade, in the workplace, in mobility and also in consumer protection.
At the G7 Summit in Elmau, we agreed that internationally recognised labour, social and environmental standards had to be better implemented at all points along the global value and supply chain. We also want to take up this topic at the G20 Summit. We need global unity not least for the practical implementation of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In a year’s time, the Summit of Heads of State and Government will take place in Hamburg. It will be preceded by a series of ministerial meetings as well as meetings with civil society and other actors. As is usual in the G20, international organisations and several guest countries will also be invited. Germany is using its G20 Presidency as an opportunity to take on international responsibility, as it did with the OSCE Chairmanship this year. We would like to communicate to our partners in the world that they can rely on us.
The European Championship in football ended yesterday. I congratulate Portugal most warmly. We share your joy. We would also like to thank France for taking on the role of host in times that are not easy. It was a wonderful celebration of sport. Perhaps this evening in smaller discussion groups we will also see those who neither hosted the event nor won every game licking their wounds. In any case, we know that football brings people together and football generates enthusiasm. And sometimes we also experience disappointment together.
I would once again like to welcome you here most warmly. Thank you so much for the long journey you have taken to be here. We hope you will not be disappointed. I wish us all a lovely evening.