Multicultural event

Dear ladies and gentlemen ministers, members of parliament, ambassadors, representatives of organizations and media,

Dear friends

Happy New Year!

On behalf of the Parliamentary Group of PASOK in the European Parliament, I wish you a happy and creative 2001. May it be a year of peace, cooperation, and prosperity.

Thank you all for the third consecutive year for the great honor of attending this political-multicultural event, which has one sole goal: to send a message of friendship, love, and brotherhood to all people, regardless of race, gender, color, language, religion, or national or social origin.

This year’s event is organized in the name and with the support of the Socialist Group of the European Parliament—part of which is the 9-member PASOK Parliamentary Group, distinguished members of which are with us this evening:

• · PASOK Members of the European Parliament
• · Ministers
• · Members of the European Parliament from other parties
• · Secretaries General
• · Ambassadors
• · Representatives of ethnic groups
• · Representatives of other relevant organizations

I would also like to thank the City of Athens for graciously providing this hall, Technopolis, which we have transformed into a Cosmopolis this evening.

Friends,

The globalization of the economy and the large migratory flows that accompany it confirm that we are slowly and steadily moving towards a planet without borders and towards multicultural, pluralistic, and diverse societies. For the first time, migration is affecting all member states of the European Union, including countries like Greece, which until a few years ago was a country of emigration.

Traditionally, migrants have always had a positive impact on economic development and made significant contributions to the renewal and revitalization of societies. This primarily occurred after the two World Wars that devastated Europe. In the 1950s and 1960s, migrants, mainly from Southern Europe, including many from Greece, greatly contributed to the reconstruction of Europe and the subsequent economic growth.

For this reason, the social integration of migrants, the recognition of rights and obligations, is a crucial policy for preserving social cohesion and combating racism and xenophobia. Respect for human rights and the acknowledgment of the right to difference are characteristics of developed societies and comprehensive democracies.

We need to hand over to the new generation a Europe with a human face, democratic, open to change, a society that ensures equality of rights and obligations for all, regardless of gender, race, national origin, language, or religious belief.

Friends,

Let us send tonight, from here, from Cosmopolis in Gazi, a strong message of peaceful and creative coexistence among people, respect for diversity, and recognition of rights and obligations for all citizens of Greek territory.

I invite you to enjoy tonight’s multicultural evening. With us this evening are those who will generously share their art with you:

• · The cultural group of the Bangladeshi community
• · A group of children from the Polish school
• · Romani ensemble
• · Giota Vei