Summer University for Democracy
Address by Stjepan Mesić, President of the Republic of Croatia
Strasbourg, 8 July 2009
Ms Deputy Secretary General,
Distinguished participants,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my great pleasure to address you today within the scope of this year’s course at the Summer University for Democracy held in Strasbourg, the city distinguished by its European history and culture, the symbol of European association and the home of the European Council, which has promoted democratic values for more than sixty years.
As you probably know, my second presidential term will be over in a few months. This is why I particularly appreciate this opportunity to discuss democracy and democratization from the perspective of Croatia, a country of extraordinary historical experiences.
I have been involved in politics long enough, and I can therefore discuss with proper disengagement and objectively the periods in Croatia’s history in which I have been directly involved. No period can be disregarded, and each left a deep mark in the process of democratization of the Croatian state and society.
Allow me to briefly remind you, as younger colleagues and future European leaders, of the recent history of my country.
Owing to a set of unfortunate circumstances, since its independence Croatia was not faced only with transition like many other countries. It had to face war and the post-war period, with everything that was crushed and destroyed in it. That is our heritage.
In the early nineteen-nineties, thanks to a combination of international circumstances Croatia found itself in the position to leave a larger state community of which it was a constituent part. At the referendum on independence more than 94 percent of the people who went to the polls voted in favour of leaving Yugoslavia.
At the same time, in cooperation with the hitherto ruling party power was transferred peacefully and the first multi-party elections were held. The system had to be arranged on new foundations and in keeping with the yardsticks of a modern state. We wanted to transform the political, state, economic and social system from a one-party into a multi-party arrangement, from political conformism into political pluralism.
Croatia was not an island and did not want to become one! Therefore, we highlighted membership in European and Atlantic integrations but also good relations with our neighbours as strategic priorities of our foreign policy. We knew, quite clearly, that we were bound with the countries in the region over a long term. We looked to the same future together with them, and together with them we wanted to advance towards the same international goals.
At the time we did not even suspect that the war, which soon flared up in our part of the world, would play havoc with the European ambitions of our region - because the aftermath of the war and the deriving obligations are still a test of our final readiness for membership in the European Union.
The war years almost totally dissipated the achievements developed in the region for decades. The war swept the entire region because of the wish to seize territories of neighbouring countries under the guise of protecting one’s own people.
The war was brief in Slovenia, bloody in Croatia and brutal in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The thousands of devastated homes, villages and towns, the thousands of lost lives, displaced persons and refugees, were not the only consequences of the wartime insanity. War produced hate, intolerance, loss of trust... But, let me stress that hate was not the cause of the war but its consequence!
Immediately after the war, along with the reconstruction of the country we had to foster reconciliation and renew trust, coexistence and mutual tolerance.
Still during the war and before the reintegration of the territories it had lost Croatia became a member of the Council of Europe in 1996.
At the time our wish to democratize our country and society was also legitimately supported. That is, being a member of this great European family meant the commitment to steer the development of the country towards democratic values.
Because of the war that was actually a new beginning. Therefore, we appreciate all the efforts whereby the Council of Europe helped to restore the acceptance of democracy in Croatia. By a series of projects the Council supported the progress towards an ethnically and religiously tolerant society such as Croatian society had actually always been.
Moreover, the Council of Europe has made an extraordinary contribution to the building of democratic values which found their expression in the rule of law, high standards of protection of human rights and promotion of democracy at the state, local and social level.
In this regard due attention needs to be paid to the extraordinary contribution of the Venice Commission to the harmonization of legislation with European standards in the rule of law and protection of human rights. Not only for Croatia but also for all the so-called new democracies, and this effort harmonized the space covered by European law.
The year 2000 marked a new turn in the political life of Croatia. Pro-democratic forces internationally recognized as such won the parliamentary and presidential elections. They widely opened up the door of the international community and international institutions to Croatia.
It has to be noted that democracy was our own choice, it was not imposed.
Our goal was to set Croatia in order in line with the principles of modern democracy. This referred especially to the relation towards minorities, which was a particularly sensitive area after the war.
We, the politicians, were aware that the mission facing us was not only the reconstruction of the country. Our special responsibility involved the building of reconciliation, the restoration of trust, tolerance and coexistence. We knew that we could only achieve that by dialogue and mutual appreciation of diversity and difference. We had to have a vision and could not give it up.
Nongovernmental organizations through which citizens were involved in political life became more active throughout the country.
We knew that we had to leave the war behind us, and that we had to restore cooperation with our neighbours.
Accordingly, we proceeded to normalize and establish diplomatic relations with other countries. I have always pointed that the political leaders of the peoples involved rather than the peoples themselves were to be blamed for the war in our region, and that individuals were to be held accountable for the crimes. The role of ICTY was of paramount importance in this individual assignment of guilt. The Tribunal helped to free collective entities from guilt and to punish individually identified perpetrators of crimes.
Our democratic turn was recognized and appreciated. The acceptance of Croatia into the circle of democratic countries sent a message to everybody in the region that democracy was worth the effort. On the basis of progress achieved so far Croatia has become a member of NATO, a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, and I believe that it will soon also become a member of the European Union.
As compared to conditions several years ago, Croatia has achieved notable progress in the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
I shall not enter into any details on this occasion, but as reported by the Centre for Human Rights Croatia has achieved a generally high degree of protection of political rights, while the protection of social and labour rights has declined because of the economic crisis. The recently adopted Law on the Prevention of Discrimination is an outstanding example of a modern democratic law.
Yet, we must not forget that laws are one thing and implementation another. Our negotiations on EU accession have shown that the implementation of the law is a weakness constantly present in some areas.
Additional effort is required in some domains. I have primarily in mind the victims of the war, missing persons and the process of return. More than 2,000 persons are still reported missing. For us this process will only be completed after we have discovered their fate down to the last name. The same holds true for the returnees. The process of return will only be completed after the last person intending to return to Croatia has done so and reclaimed the respective rights.
Additional effort is required in achieving gender equality, in implementing measures for Roma integration, but also a higher degree of children’s rights. In this process we must always be ready to respond to ever new challenges.
Bearing all this in mind, I think we need to emphasize that Croatia’s performance in the field of human rights since it gained independence is not at all negligible.
As I have often highlighted, nobody is born a democrat. One becomes a democrat. And education plays an important role in that regard. Education is instrumental in adopting and implanting democratic achievements, supreme values and civilizational accomplishments.
Croatia is a multi-ethnic, multi-confessional and multi-cultural state. Like most countries in the region. Therefore, you can never pay enough attention to the foundations of democracy - to non-discrimination, tolerance and mutual appreciation.
Aware of all these values, we greatly appreciate every effort through which people of the same professional interests meet, communicate, establish links and cooperate. This project - the Summer School for Democracy - which the Council of Europe has organized for the fourth time is one of the efforts offering such an opportunity.
In particular we would like to commend the efforts through which the Council of Europe contributes to sustained dialogue among the countries in the region. One of them is the forthcoming meeting of political schools from the region, which accomplishes an additional form of cooperation.
In this regard let me repeat another point: every venture of this kind contributes to stability in the region. And there is no prosperity without stability. Stability is required not only for our sake, for the sake of the population of our region, but also for the sake of stability throughout Europe.
We are all involved in the same mission. Today it is me, tomorrow it will be you. Let me tell you that the mission, the democratization of the state and of society, is not an easy one. But it is not impossible. This is why it is important to be consistent and steady. Moreover, the mission is never completed and always needs to be confirmed anew. This is why the institutions of the system are so important. They must function because they carry the continuity of democracy.
It is well known that the optimum model of social development is based on law, on the institution of a legitimate, responsible and incorruptible government, on the respect of human and minority rights, on the freedom of expression, on the right to fair trial... All these are essential, universal pillars of democratic pluralism incorporated also in the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of the Council of Europe.
The mechanisms reinforcing the Convention through rulings of the European Court for Human Rights are therefore of paramount importance. This does not regard only the uniformity of democratic standards but also and especially the provision of firm steering in these times of economic crisis and globalization.
That is to say, if the basic principles of justice and freedom are not accepted as key factors of economic growth, and if they are not protected, they could be lost.
Such a situation could also have far-reaching consequences. It could result in the loss of all the accomplishments of the past fifty years in promoting freedom and democracy.
I see globalization as a two-way street in which information but also influences travel in both directions. I try to look at globalization in positive terms and, thus, I also consider it a good opportunity for the faster and more direct transmission of certain specific genuine values into the world. They certainly include the achievements in the development of democratic pluralism which I discussed a moment ago. Thanks to the activity of the Council of Europe they have become specific not only to the European continent.
However much globalization allows for fast and efficient collusion of those who threaten democratic values, the very same globalization allows responsible people in politics and in the economy, civil society activists and media professionals to establish successful bonds in preventing such actions in areas which are still beyond control of the authorities and which call for urgent prevention.
Generally speaking, globalization developments truly cry out for law and order, but they also promote awareness of one’s own identity and special quality. In this set of values Croatia is recognized as a Mediterranean country with a thousand islands.
I would like to see Croatia perceived not only by its beautiful coast but also as a country of law and order. As a country in which every foreigner feels welcome, a country whose citizens are aware that their environment is the framework they want to upgrade with their knowledge and capacity.
This gives me the opportunity to present the Croatia I have fought for and to which I have aspired through all these years of my two presidential terms.
I have wanted Croatia to become a country of happy people. And if it is really to become that, its citizens need to build an awareness of themselves, trust one another and the institutions of the state. It is only then that our communication with the world will be healthy and unencumbered by the heritage of the past.
I have wanted Croatia to become a country in which law and order will be respected. If that is to happen, the institutions responsible for the rule of law must function. The consistent implementation of the law is the best guarantee of the citizens’ trust in these institutions, and it contributes in its turn to making them stronger every day. Let us also remember that the prevention of corruption is one of the unavoidable measures in increasing the degree of trust in institutions.
I have wanted Croatia to become an economically prosperous country. And that requires a climate favouring investment accomplished, first and foremost, by establishing trust in institutions, the judiciary in particular, and by comprehensive functioning of the rule of law.
I have wanted Croatia to become a modern state based on the rule of law. In order to accomplish this, its institutions must function and be compatible with institutions of countries having a long democratic tradition.
With our example we have wanted to demonstrate to the region that investing into democracy is worth its while, and that investing into European standards means investing into a prosperous future.
Although the process is still under way, I am deeply convinced that over the past years we have traced the path for successful progress towards that goal. I would also like my successor to be a convinced democrat and humanist, and to pursue the same path. Let him adopt the rule of law as an achievement and value having no alternative.
We, the politicians from our region, must always and ever anew substantiate the vision of democratic development and never stop talking about it. Moreover, our mission includes supporting confidence building measures for quite a long time to come because experience has shown us that confidence is frail and subject to disruption. This is why the concurrent building of trust into the institutions of the state, the strength of which rests on the consistent and equitable enforcement of regulations, is of the highest importance.
Let me remind you that present-day Europe has developed precisely on the establishment of trust among nations. The impulse provided by politicians was followed by all segments of society allowing it to take root and, moreover, to answer in a consistent manner the requirements of current developments.
This is the development I want for our region. I want it to become stable and prosperous, and thereby European.
Thank you!
