08 July 2016

Remarks by President Donald Tusk after the EU-US leaders' meeting in Warsaw

[...]Caring for the unity of the whole political community of the West is key, whether we are discussing the referendum in the United Kingdom, the situation in Ukraine or our future trade deals. We realise how much effort and how many new arguments we need, to prevent political entropy and disintegration.

We know that the geopolitical consequences of Brexit may be very serious. Maintaining the closest possible relations between the EU and the UK is in European and American interest. But it is equally important to send today a strong message to the whole world that Brexit, as sad and meaningful as it is, is just an incident, and not the beginning of a process. To all our opponents, on the inside and out, who are hoping for a sequel to Brexit, I want to say loud and clear: you won't see on the screen the words: "to be continued."

There is no good alternative to trans-Atlantic cooperation. All those who value our fundamental principles of freedom, the rule of law, democracy, human and civil rights, must act in favour of this cooperation. This is the essence of our ties between America, known as the New World, and Europe, known as the Old Continent. We know, however, that besides  the old world and the new world, there is also a world apart, with different values and different strategic aims. And it has allies, also in the USA, in Europe, and here in Poland. In public debates in Washington, London, Berlin, Paris and Warsaw, we hear anti-democratic slogans more and more, calling for national egoisms, isolationism, Euroscepticism. It would be good if we clearly stated today that whoever turns against America, harms Europe; whoever attacks the European Union, harms America. And whoever undermines the foundations of liberal democracy, harms one and the other.

We have been building liberal democracy with determination on both sides of the Atlantic. We have followed the lessons of the same scholars, we have been inspired by the same political philosophies. We must now protect this heritage, both rich and indeed surprisingly fresh. [...]

Full speech

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