Speech on the occasion of the opening of the "Beauty of European Faleristics" exhibition, 2 February 2009
Greetings to all of you. Good afternoon. The "Beauty of European Faleristics" exhibition is one of a cycle of exhibitions – not planned that way in advance - we hold in buildings owned by the state today, belonging to the Office of the Government. The first reason why the exhibition is here is to bring some life into these spaces; the public doesn't usually get to see these spaces, so we wanted to get people into a space they would normally not have access to. The second reason is an entire series of accompanying events during our presidency, through which we want to contribute to understanding, to removing the barriers between European nations; this exhibition is part of that as well. If I wanted to joke about it, I'd say that "Entropa" may have started it, but it by far has not finished it.
To begin with, I would like to thank everyone who has taken part in preparing this exhibition. It was not simple. All 26 embassies of European Union countries in Prague worked together, and of course the Office of the Government, the National Museum, the Military Historical Museum, the Office of the President of the Czech Republic and the ČEZ Group. This exhibition is, without a doubt, unique. And by that I don't mean "only" that we can see the beautiful honours and orders of all 27 Member States. In and of themselves, they are beautiful works of art. I am convinced that this exhibition offers something more than just a beautiful, artistic and aesthetic experience.
This exhibition, in which all the countries of the European Union are represented, is first and foremost a reminder of the values that have joined all of our continent for centuries. The history of faleristics is also the history of European democracy. Orders, which were originally intended only for a select few, gradually developed into awards that could be won by every citizen and foreigner. The basic sense has remained the same the entire time: To award loyalty and service. In this, I would say that the first parallel is with today's European integration. The original 6 are now 27, and at the same time the original values on which the EU was formed have not been ground down. On the contrary, the original civilisational mission is gaining strength and the original values - to expand the space for safety, freedom and prosperity - are still the same.
The second parallel is another reason why I think this exhibition is joined with the European Union. Orders, honours and awards for loyal service are different in every country and are very diverse, just as the cultures of these countries. But all award the same thing: Loyal service to society, the values I have spoken of. So the European Union's motto, "In Varietate Concordia," is fulfilled. It means "unity in diversity." My wish is that all of you who will have the ability to see this exhibition will see that it is not just a beautiful experience, but that maybe with it, there is an overlap with what I spoke of, and that you become aware of how diverse and at the same time similar in values today's European Union is.
Have a beautiful experience.
