Publisert med forbehold om endringer under fremførelsen.

Dear President of the Chamber of deputies, Mr Valeriu Stefan Zgonea, Dear Members of Parliament, Representatives of the government, Excellencies, Dear friends,

I am deeply honoured to stand here before such a distinguished gathering. The opportunity to visit colleagues in other parliaments is not only a privilege; it’s also a valuable tool in our work towards the common goals of a peaceful and democratic Europe.

The exchange of ideas, experiences and aspirations is surely one of the most important aspects of inter-parliamentary cooperation.

We all know that democracy can never be taken for granted. It’s not something that simply is, or can be adopted by law by statute.

Last year, Norway commemorated the bicentenary of its constitution. It was a year of great celebration, not only of the Constitution itself, but of 200 years of democratic development. Allow me if I may to share with you a number of the important lessons that we learned from this commemoration.

The Norwegian Constitution of 1814 was a product of the Napoleonic Wars and the revolutionary era in Europe. At the time it was the most democratic constitution in the world; today it is the second oldest still in use. That alone is worth celebrating. But at the same time it gives cause for reflection.

Because despite its fairly democratic constitution, Norway was by no means a truly democratic state in 1814.

Norwegian democracy has developed over the past 200 years. Along the way both good and not so good decisions have been made. The emergence of a deeply rooted democratic culture and mindset has not been without diversions or setbacks. Our aim was to make the 2014 constitutional bicentenary an opportunity to examine the history of Norwegian democracy, and the way it has developed into what it is today. Not just to learn from the past, but also to be better prepared for the challenges of tomorrow. To do that we also had to confront some of the more unsavoury sides of our own history.

We are convinced that the Norwegian democracy of today is a strong one, and that we are better prepared to face threats against it by knowing its history. This includes acknowledging the shadows of the distant and not-so-distant past: our erstwhile discrimination against minorities in the name of nation building and social welfare; extremist and totalitarian elements in the history of some of our political parties; resistance against democratic reform and suffrage on the part of the ruling elite.

As much as a celebration of the past, the Bicentenary was an investment in the future.

Every 17th May –Norway’s national day – our children stand in the forefront of the celebrations. This was also a well-established tradition when I was a little boy.
In my opinion, this is crucial. A truly democratic mindset must be developed from early childhood, through the school system and in our interaction with family and society.

During the celebrations last year I met many children. They came to visit the Parliament and I travelled across Norway to meet them and talk about our Constitution and our democratic history. I have no doubt that they will adopt and develop democratic values and culture based on their own reality. Yet the most important message was to convince them that every voice should be heard. No matter where you come from or who your parents are.

Dear Romanian friends,

Like Norway, Romania has a rich history of constitutional development, where the parliament has played a crucial nation-building role. From the Organic Statute of 1831 to the unification of the two principalities in 1859 and the constitution of 1866, the parliament has been the key player in underpinning the will and the wish of the Romanian people to be united and to live within the boundaries of the same political body.

Since then, the pendulum of democratic development has swung back and forth, from the dark days of dictatorship to today’s Romania, a key player in the European Union.

In 2016 you will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first Romanian constitution after the dramatic and bloody revolution in 1989. What you have achieved in just a couple of decades has taken far more time in many other countries.

I am aware that you have not yet overcome all the challenges that a society encounters when going through this kind of transformation. But, like the rest of the European community, I applaud your progress. Norway wholeheartedly supports your efforts to further develop and consolidate your democracy.

We recognise the crucial role Romania is playing, and has to play, in developing a democratic political culture, not only here but throughout the region as a whole.

Every society has its own history and its own culture, and each must create democracy in its own way. But I think we can all agree that establishing a stable democracy takes time, and is a process that has no set finishing line.

For me, there are two fundamental elements that must be in place if a democratic culture is to be embedded in a country.

The first is trust. Mutual trust – between the political elite and public opinion, between the authorities and the population at large – is essential for any successful democracy.

The second is participation. Participation is the key to keeping a democracy alive and vibrant. A successful democracy requires that we participate fully in our democratic processes; at work, at school and in the wide variety of voluntary activities that we take part in. It requires that people have a sense of belonging and equality, and that they have confidence in the institutions of democracy.

A society that manages to include all groups, regardless of religion or ethnicity, gender or preferred way of life, is not only culturally richer;. it also stands a better chance of economic prosperity. Social welfare expenses will be lower, and a diversified workforce will provide a higher level of creativity in the business world. The key is to view the diverse elements of society and their differences as a resource rather than a problem. Pluralism is an economic and social benefit. Above all, it is a prerequisite for a successful modern democracy.

In fact, one of our greatest challenges is to include and engage all citizens so that they may take an active part in society and in our democracy, now and in the future. Without the full participation of the people, how can there be a genuine political debate on the future of the country?

Our parliaments and we as parliamentarians have a crucial role to play here. We must be in the driving seat of democratic debate; the ultimate responsibility to protect democracy rests with us.

This is why parliaments in democratic states must lead the way. By creating an open and transparent society founded on the rule of law. By ensuring that the structures necessary to prevent the abuse of power and corruption are firmly in place. By making sure that the division of power between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary is clear and inviolable.

For parliament, it is of vital importance that we create mechanisms that secure the integrity of the institution itself and its elected representatives.

Only through this can we generate the trust between the people and government and the broad participation in our societies that is so fundamental for a vibrant democracy.

That brings me on to the role of political parties in democracies. Political parties are the bedrock of a democracy. They are always more important than the politicians; it is the parties that represent continuity in the democratic process.

The parties are where political ideas are formed and formulated, sometimes rejected and sometimes used as the basis for important changes in society. In Norway, they are also the main gateway into political participation.

And right now, democracy seems to be under pressure in Europe. In too many of the former Soviet republics, and even a few of the other eastern European countries, the democratic development that began 25 years ago seems to have ground to a halt, or even more worryingly, to have been reversed under pressure from external or internal threats.

Romania has a crucial role to play here. Not only does the democratic and economic progress you have made serve as an inspiration, but the first-hand knowledge and experience you possess can be instrumental in promoting democracy in the region and beyond.

At a personal level, I have taken the initiative together with my Nordic and Baltic colleagues, and in close cooperation with the Council of Europe, to support the reform process in the Ukrainian parliament, the Rada. It is without doubt the inspiration and experience from our Baltic friends that is most influential in our efforts in Ukraine. I believe Romania already plays a similar role.

Because we are ourselves politicians and Members of Parliament, we are well placed to share our political experience with our Ukrainian colleagues.

We need to remember and learn from our history. Only by confronting the problems of our own past are we equipped to take on today’s corresponding menaces. We must carry the lessons of history with us when, once again, Europe and European values are under threat.

The security situation has worsened considerably over the past year, both because of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq, Syria and beyond. We are also witnessing burgeoning radicalization and racism in Europe. This is deeply disturbing. The shock that followed the terrorist acts in Paris and Copenhagen this winter is still with us. Both were cases of extremists resorting to violence and murder in the name of the beliefs they claim to be defending.

This demonstrates that democracy must never be taken for granted. We need to fight for it, protect it and debate it every day.

Earlier this year, a group of young Norwegian Muslims organized a peaceful demonstration to show solidarity with the Jewish population in Norway. Over 1000 Muslims linked hands and formed a protective human ring around Oslo´s synagogue. They were offering a symbolic protection of Oslo´s Jewish community after the terrorist attacks in Paris and Copenhagen.

To me, this was a unique kind of anti-hate campaign and a powerful and moving way to condemn extremism and terrorism.

Dear friends,
Our digital age is changing the framework of our democracies. It creates new opportunities for political activity in all parts of our population and across borders. It is a platform; a means to voice opinions on all kinds of matters in society.

Yet the digital age also brings with it a fresh challenge. There is a risk that people only pay attention to arenas that confirm their own preconceptions; where the authors of these messages have agendas that are not conducive to openness, tolerance, and the genuine exchange of opinion.

In this way digital arenas may turn into arenas of hate speech, a serious and growing problem.

I believe hate speech is really the opposite of open and constructive dialogue in a democratic culture. I call on all parliamentarians to support the fight against hate speech, to use the digital arena constructively, to use it carefully to create trust and understanding, to use it as a positive democratic channel for change, not hate.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
As fellow parliamentarians of European democracies we share the responsibility to confront the common European challenges of our time.

I am pleased that Norway and Romania stand side by side in the struggle to curb anti-democratic developments. For the last 11 years, we have been allies in NATO. In a world where dark clouds seem to be gathering on the horizon, we are among each other’s guarantees of security.

I know that Romania also plays an important role within the European Union, to make sure that fellow European states remain focused on the fragile security situation in this region.

In this context it is important to remember that strong incorrupt democratic institutions with a high level of integrity are the best means of protection against threats and manipulations both from within and from abroad.

It is my wish that Romania and Norway will continue in our collaboration, both bilaterally and multilaterally. As European allies, we share the responsibility of creating a European future worthy of our common values.