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SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY ROBINSON, AT THE DINNER HOSTED BY PRESIDENT HERZOG

SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY ROBINSON, AT THE DINNER HOSTED BY PRESIDENT HERZOG ON 30 SEPTEMBER, 1996

It is a great honour for me to be received by you here today in Berlin, in the historic and impressive capital city of Germany. Thank you very much for your warm reception and also for the kind words of welcome you have just expressed. I reciprocate your good wishes and thank you for the hospitality you have extended to myself and my husband and my accompanying party. It is a most rewarding experience to come to Berlin to have discussions with you here and to see the extraordinary work of reconstruction as Berlin, as capital city and seat of Government, develops further the facilities it offers. Berlin embodies the new-found confidence of a great nation that, following unification, has now taken its appropriate place in the expanding family of the European Union.

We in Ireland rejoice at these developments. Friendship has always been the key relationship between our two countries. That friendship has grown and intensified in our common membership of the European Union as our two countries work together for a better and all-embracing Europe for the benefit of all our citizens. There is no more honourable task, no more pressing vocation than this as our two countries work together with our other European partners to build our common future as Europeans, just as Germany has moved rapidly to consolidate its own new-found self-confidence, to which this city bears such remarkable testimony.

Ireland has been a member of the Union and of its predecessor, the EEC, for almost a quarter of a century and we have first-hand experience of the enormous boost to our economic development and cultural identity that membership has brought with it. Our standard of living has been converging on European levels rapidly over the past two decades, and at an accelerated pace in recent years. Ireland's per capital GNP has risen with membership from under 60% of the EU average in 1970 to over 80% today.

We have also derived great benefit in the human dimension and in the cultural sphere from our membership. Irish people are to be found working and living throughout the European Union just as they are throughout Germany. This diaspora has brought as much to Germany and to other host countries as to the Irish themselves, as the expansion of our cultural heritage makes itself felt throughout the European mainland, mixing with the indigenous cultures, drawing encouragement and substance from interaction with those cultures, and more besides.

In Germany the level of Irish cultural activity is astonishing - I am not just talking of the unique phenomenon of the Irish pub - and I believe that the German appreciation of this development is widespread. I need look no further than the Frankfurt Book Fair where Ireland is featuring as the theme country for this year's event. As you know, Mr. President, I am travelling to the Book Fair tomorrow and look forward to the opportunity of participating in the opening of this important event and celebrating Ireland's participation in it. The focus on Ireland and its Diaspora at the Fair reflects the impact that Irish culture has made in Germany and the ever expanding interest on the part of German people in learning more about Ireland.

Just as the European ideal has blossomed for the Irish abroad, so too it has impacted on the hopes for a lasting peace on the island of Ireland. Inspired by the example of the European Union we are seeking a solution which allows all those living on this island of Ireland to feel at peace with their political institutions and allegiances. However, I have to say, and I do so here in deep appreciation, that without the interest and concern of our German and other European partners in the framework of the European Union, which has subtly and positively influenced the will and the search for an accommodation, our task would be immeasurably more difficult.

Mr. President, in Berlin today, I have seen many facets of the new city that is emerging to serve the Germany of the future. What impresses me very much is the careful blend of the old and the new, from the symbolic Brandeburg Gate to the extraordinarily futuristic Potsdamer Platz, not to mention this very beautiful Schloss Bellvue. It is refreshing to see such modern development taking place side by side with elements of the traditional Berlin, to see the beauty of the old blend with the exciting prospects of the new. Such imaginative development promises much for Berlin as a place where the citizens can feel comfortable with their environment and be proud of their old heritage and their new cityscape. The renowned German concern for our environment finds reflection in the care and sensitivity that are accompanying the reconstruction and expansion of this city.

It is especially relevant that I should be in Berlin at a time when Ireland is exercising the Presidency of the European Union. As committed Europeans we approach this task with great dedication, imbued with a sense of expectation as we contemplate major expansion of the Union to embrace our neighbours to the South and in the Centre and East of the Continent. Like Germany we welcome this development and our Presidency is working in the Intergovernmental Conference to prepare the ground for this exciting prospect.

We are not, of course, looking at the IGC from this perspective alone, and, in common with our German friends and colleagues are working to consolidate the process of European integration across a wide spectrum. We very much appreciate and value the understanding and support we have received from Germany in this enterprise and are looking forward to the visit of Chancellor Kohl to Ireland later this week.

Mr. President, on behalf of myself, and my husband, and the entire Irish delegation I would like to thank you most heartily and most sincerely for your kind welcome to Berlin and your demonstration of the warmth and depth of the exceptionally friendly relations that exist between our two peoples and countries.