Mesdames, Messieurs
Messieurs les recteurs, professeurs et étudiants du Groupe Coimbra.

Les années passent et nous voici déjà à la quatrième édition du prix Arenberg-Coimbra, organisé conjointement par la Fondation d’Arenberg et le Groupe Coimbra qui rassemble 38 universités prestigieuses aux quatre coins du Vieux Continent.

C’est à l’initiative de notre Président de Fondation, le Ministre d’Etat Mark Eyskens que ce prix a vu le jour en 2007.

Professor Guido Langouche, Chair of the Executive Board, and Dr. Inge Knudsen, Director of the Brussels Office of the Coimbra Group gave us their benevolent and enthusiastic support from the start and we thank them very much for that.

Thanks to the efforts of the Brussels Office of the Coimbra Group and to the website promoting the Prize, more and more universities have become aware of the existence of this Prize of European Excellence, created to promote young people who leave their country to study abroad, in another university of the Group.

This year, we had 11 nominations from 8 CG Universities, namely the Universities of Aarhus, Coimbra, Leuven, Louvain-la-Neuve, Padova, Praha, Tartu, Turku.

The 2010 Laureate is Alessandro De Bortoli, from the university of Padova who studied ‘ Non-Pharmacological Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation’ at the University of Bergen, Norway.

I’m certain that most of you do not know anything about the subject and do not understand why a young Italian had to study in … Norway to become more
knowledgeable in this area of expertise.

But this is exactly the purpose of our exercise : to promote European mobility among the young people as well as better  mutual understanding for our different European cultures.

The academic world – especially the Erasmus programme - offers the unique opportunity to do that.

Later, when the ‘rat race’ begins, travelling becomes often less interesting since you are no longer supposed to have fun or to learn but to perform according to the whims of the employers or under the grinding pressure of your competitors.

De Arenberg Stichtingen, wij hebben drie stichtingen in Belgie, Duitsland en Holland, proberen Europa te bevorderen. Vooral dank zij geschiedenis en cultuur en in samenwerking met universiteiten, archieven en lokale heemkringen
die erin slagen Europese burgers van verschillende milieus en beroepen voor hun ‘Heimat’ te motiveren.

Es wird oft ‘Europa’ vorgeworfen ‘bürgerfern’, bürokratisch und verschwenderisch, in einem Wort ‘antidemokratisch’ zu sein. Anstatt uns diesem grossen Chor anzuschliessen, bevorzugen wir das Handeln in einem positiven Geist.

Die Arenberg Stiftungen engagieren sich in allen Bereichen wo es möglich ist einen bescheidenen Beitrag zur Europäischen Einheit zu leisten, und zwar nämlich :

Eröffnung eines grossen privaten Familienarchivs seit 1969
Veröffentlichung von Büchern
Teilnahme an Ausstellungen
Förderung der Musik, unter anderem in der Schweiz, seit 2002
Geschichtspreise seit 1992
Arenberg-Coimbra Preis seit 2007
Veranstaltungen von Konferenzen seit 1997

This year for instance, we organize for the first time a symposium with two Belgian universities, members of the Coimbra Group, about a fascinating topic : “Russia-Europe, a partnership for the future ?” Six speakers, three Russians and three Western Europeans are going to inform us about Russian foreign and defence policy, about energy and about investment and business opportunities in this huge country.

Thereafter, the Russian Ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozine will make a speech and he may shake our certitudes again.

Indeed, I was surprised to read an article in the International Herald Tribune, on January 12th, signed by the Ambassador and general Boris Gromow, the last Soviet commander in Afghanistan, where they advise NATO to … stay in this country and to win the war.

Amazing is it not, especially for me and most of you who have been raised during the cold war, a cold war that nearly became a hot war on several occasions ?

If you want to join us for this event on November 5th in Brussels, let us know.

En los ultimos meses, me parece que hubo de nuevo un progreso significativo en la construccion europea.

En realidad, estamos progesando adelante en momentos de crise y una vez màs fue el caso con la ayuda prodigada a nuestros amigos griegos.

Vamos ahora tener que modificar las reglas del juego economico : los màs fuertes del punto de vista financiero tendràn que ayudar a los mas débiles en cambio de màs disciplina fiscal y integracion de las politicas economicas europeas.

E claro que têmos que esperar que os nossos amigos do sul modifiquem um pouco a sua maneira de aproveitar a vida, por certo um desafio de primeira.

Màs no seculo XV nào podia-se imaginar um  imperio comercial portuguès que consiguiu dominar completamente o Oriente durante cinquenta anos. Querer é poder : o nosso futuro é sobre tudo a nossa responsabilidade.

Il faut toujours garder l’espoir des jours meilleurs, d’autant plus que nous n’avons plus le choix. Il suffit de voyager à l’étranger pour se rendre compte de ce qui est en train de se passer car l’histoire s’accélère.

Seule une Europe forte, libre et unie pourra faire entendre sa voix dans le concert des Grands et garantir ainsi notre prospérité future, en particulier celle de  la jeune génération, souvent plus travailleuse et plus sérieuse que la génération de ses aînés, les fameux soixante-huitards.

C’est avec persévérance et modestie que nous essayons donc de faire avancer le ‘schmilblick’ comme on dit à Bruxelles, de faire avancer l’Europe ‘d’en-bas’, celle des citoyens afin d’attirer l’attention de l’Europe ‘d’en-haut’. Dans un esprit de dialogue inter-culturel et de tolérance linguistique.

Inderdaad, bij onze onze stichtingen hebben wij vier werktalen : het Nederlands, het Duits, het Frans zonder het Engels te vergeten. Met goede wil en een goede zin voor humor is plots alles mogelijk.

Tutto questo per dire di nuovo al nostro premiato 2010, il signore Alessandro De Bortoli, dellà Università di Padova :  molti auguri per avere ottenuto il quarto Premio di Eccellenza Europea  Arenberg-Coimbra Group e buona fortuna per il séguito della sua carriera.

Lei é il primo premiato italiano e speriamo avere molti candidati del suo paese nel futuro prossimo. Nel passato, c’erano due Finlandesi e uno Danese.

Ancora, molti auguri e tutto bene per la sua vita privata e professionale.

Pour la Fondation d’Arenberg

Pce Leopold d’Arenberg