8
May
2025
Watch
80 years after the end of World War II - freedom, democracy and security as the heritage of Europe (debate)
President. Eighty years of freedom. It can give us a sense of triumph. Such as: We are doing our best, we are no longer fighting, we are in Europe, at least we are working together. We now know how risky such an attitude is. It led to naivety. Many thought: Investing in defense? Oh, you don't have to anymore. That's a thing of the past. We are now working on a necessary catch-up, but it will be very late. Eighty years of freedom requires a different attitude, an attitude of gratitude and vigilance. Gratitude because freedom is first and foremost a gift from above and vigilance because what happened before and during the Second World War can just happen again. Look at the alarming rise in anti-Semitism. As Winston Churchill said: “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”