Speech by the Minister for Foreign Affairs at a public lecture for students and interested parties, at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius, in connection with the Swedish State Visit to Lithuania, 8 October 2015. Check against delivery.

Ladies and gentlemen,

“Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan.

It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity.”

These were the words of Robert Schuman, one of the founders of what we now call the European Union.

The extraordinary enlargement of the Union in 2004 is one of the greatest achievements in modern European history.

Our Baltic Sea no longer divides us. It unites us.

I am proud that Sweden – and not least my predecessor and friend the late Anna Lindh – worked hard for enlargement.

Lithuania and the other Baltic States answered with impressive commitment to progress and reform and joined the EU as full members and equal partners. Back then, European politics were steeped in confidence.

The EU adopted a foreign policy strategy around that time, just a little over a decade ago. It began with the following words:

Never so prosperous, so secure, nor so free.

This description of our European continent was, at that time, a fitting one.

But we are now living in times of greater uncertainty, in which these words sound less convincing.

In the first draft of the EU’s new foreign policy strategy, scheduled to be adopted in 2016, the wording has changed.

The world, it says, is “more connected, more contested and more complex.”

Our challenges are visible.

They are visible in our neighbourhood, in Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, and war, terrorism and refugee crises in Europe’s southern neighbourhood.

And they are visible globally, where shortcomings in our common institutions sometimes occur.

Our humanitarian systems are overstretched by the world’s forty armed conflicts, of which eleven are full-scale wars.

Refugee flows are reaching the levels seen during the Second World War.

It is against this backdrop that we have to shape foreign policy.

This is why I will talk about the challenges we have to tackle together. I will begin with the EU, then move to the EU’s neighbourhood and conclude with some global challenges.

* * *

In his State of the Union address a few weeks ago, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said: “This is not the time for business as usual”.

The economic and financial crises have indeed been followed by political tensions, both within Member States and within the framework of the EU as a whole.

We need to regain a steady course forward, where cohesion, solidarity and a new dynamic will help us achieve the goals of peace and prosperity that are at the heart of our Union.

What Europe needs today is an EU that focuses on employment, sustainability, and security in our neighbourhood.

Our common goals must be lower unemployment, decent working conditions, higher growth and a better political climate in which people’s frustration is not exploited, and populism and short-sightedness no longer triumph.

European countries need to regain their self-confidence, because we need strong cooperation for a Europe that is competitive.

Now, as before, this cooperation must be open to new members. And it must also be the basis of a strong common European foreign policy.

The new European Security Strategy must therefore build on sound analysis of changes in the rest of the world and changes to the EU’s relative strength.

The Strategy, due to be completed next year, will guide the 28 Member States in shaping how the EU should best relate to the rest of the world.

Also, much of what we have gained from this cooperation sometimes seems to be forgotten or taken for granted.

So let’s remember what Robert Schuman said: concrete achievements create solidarity. We need a strong Lithuania and a strong Sweden in a strong European Union.

* * *

Our second challenge is the European neighbourhood – our neighbourhood.

It has been our ambition to contribute to peace, freedom and stability. But we are now forced to deal with serious crises on several fronts.

I am deeply concerned about developments in Russia.

The act of aggression that Russia has committed against Ukraine is the greatest challenge to European peace and security since the end of the Cold War.

This is accompanied by a propaganda machine in full gear.

We have together agreed the fundamental rules that must apply to European peace and security. These must also apply to Moscow, now and in the future.

The right of all countries to determine their own future must be respected.

We therefore insist on the full implementation of the Minsk agreements.

The current cease-fire and the continued discussions in the Trilateral Contact Group are steps in the right direction towards achieving the purpose of the Minsk agreements: withdrawal of all Russian troops and military equipment, and re-establishment of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, including Ukraine’s full control of its border.

The EU needs to stick together to hinder and contribute to make more costly any form of Russian aggression.

We must also stand firm in the face of Russian trade sanctions and intimidation, despite the economic pain.

And we will remain one of the most ambitious countries in our efforts to help Ukraine succeed.

The success of the Ukrainian reform process is of enormous strategic importance to Ukraine, to the broader region and to the EU.

In at least three areas, the EU and its Member States could do more: additional financial support, support of energy reforms and support to reforms needed for visa liberalisation.

At the same time, we must maintain both our bilateral relations and the EU’s contacts with Russia. It is, after all, our largest neighbour. We cannot give up on people-to-people contacts with Russia.

To the east, we also have the Eastern Partnership countries.

We will give our full support to the countries wishing to pursue the path of European reforms and European integration. The choice is their own, and there should be no place for threats or interference from any other nation.

At the recent summit in Riga, both the EU and the six partner countries reaffirmed their support for this joint project.

It will not be easy, but I am convinced that this is the right path to take.

During my first few months as Minister for Foreign Affairs, I visited Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.

I made the visit to Moldova with my close Lithuanian colleague Linas (Linkevicius). The young people we met there see the same future in and with Europe as the young people of Lithuania, Poland and Romania did 20 years ago.

Both Sweden and Lithuania have an important role to play in keeping these European prospects alive.

We must offer a path forward and ensure that the door is open to the countries that want and manage to make it all the way – that meet the requirements, regulations and conditions that apply to EU Member States in the future.

I am therefore very happy to announce that Linas and I will visit Ukraine together later this autumn.

* * *

However, external challenges and commitments are not limited to those in the east, as we are witnessing at an accelerating pace.

Our neighbours in the south also need our full commitment.

The war in Syria is no closer to resolution and the Russian air strikes in Syria risk derailing the UN-led political track. I strongly urge Russia to focus on the political process rather than on military escalation.

The barbaric atrocities of ISIL continue. The fighting in Libya is tearing the country apart. Sexual violence is increasingly used as both a strategic weapon and a source of income.

The human suffering is immense. As a result of these conflicts and other structural challenges in the region, refugees are looking for a way out.

Millions of people are fleeing to neighbouring countries. And many take the route across the Mediterranean or the Western Balkans to the EU.

Of the 60 million refugees worldwide, about one million are expected to seek refuge in Europe in 2015. The crisis is acute and must be met through a comprehensive and united EU approach to migration.

The solidarity that Robert Schuman spoke about in 1950 is needed today. And perhaps more than ever before.

The European Union is a global actor with a strong commitment to human rights, democracy and rule of law.

The world expects us to respond to the current refugee situation according to our values.

And we should expect nothing less of ourselves. The right of an individual to seek asylum is a human right under international law.

In 2014 alone, Sweden offered asylum to 81 000 people – the highest per capita number in Europe. Since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria, almost 95 000 Syrians have fled to Sweden.

We will continue to do our part, but other Member States must do theirs – in the spirit of European solidarity.

At the same time, we must respect the historic and economic differences between EU countries.

Lack of immigration experience and structures for hosting and integrating refugees is an important aspect in this regard.

But immigration should never be seen as a burden. European countries with declining populations require an influx of workers from other countries. Today, one in six people living in Sweden was born in another country.

Many of the refugees from Syria are well educated. They will be able to join the workforce as soon as they have mastered the basics of the new language.

We Europeans should share our experiences in this current situation.

We need to discuss how to best integrate newcomers from different countries into the workforce and into our communities, how to provide them with opportunities and ensure their equal rights.

But above all, we need to work on two tracks simultaneously.

First, with winter approaching, the lack of resources for basic humanitarian work on the ground must be solved. Secondly, we need to address the underlying factors causing people to flee – be they conflict, oppression or economic vulnerability.

* * *

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to say a few words about global challenges and the role of the United Nations.

In recent years, we have been forced to witness our collective inability to resolve major problems. And I wonder whether the gap between problems and solutions may, in fact, be growing.

Finding a way to reduce this gap must be a priority of Swedish and European foreign policy in the years to come. To succeed, it is especially important to develop our dialogue also with countries outside our own neighbourhood, many of which are making rapid headway.

For this reason, Sweden is now renewing old friendships with countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

We also believe that the UN, which remains the backbone of the international system, must be strengthened. Sweden’s candidacy for the Security Council is an expression of our readiness to listen and act with integrity.

And let me be clear on this last point. The Swedish Government sees no contradiction between a firm commitment to EU foreign policy and strong engagement in the UN. On the contrary. The EU needs a strong UN just as the UN benefits from a strong EU.

* * *

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to close with a quote by my colleague and friend, Lithuanian President, Dalia Grybauskaite.

“(…) we together joined the European Union, becoming partners in a unified area of freedom, democracy and solidarity. An area founded on respect for human rights and other freedoms. An area that brings down barriers between nations and people – where the challenges of your neighbour are also your challenges. And all of this is built on a strong foundation of solidarity.”

* * *

I would like to thank you for this opportunity to speak here today.

I have done so against a serious backdrop.

“Never so prosperous, so secure, nor so free” has changed into “more connected, more contested and more complex”.

Time will always change, but the foundation of our European Union must not.

As always, it is about solidarity.

Thank you.