Speech of the PM of the CR Mirek Topolánek, on the occasion of Czech Republic's entering the Schengen area, given at Hrádek on 21st December 2007

Here, in the Three-Border Region we are beginning symbolical removal of internal borders of enlarged Schengen area today. Significance of this action is demonstrated by the presence of important persons of the European Union. The Chairman of the European Commission José Barosso, the Prime Minister of Portugal - the presiding country of the EU, José Socrates, and the Eurocommissioner Franco Frattini are here. I welcome all of them. In particular, I thank the Portugal Prime Minister for the fact that his country enabled to break through a technical problem concerning enlargement of the Schengen area, I mean the offer of the SISONE4ALL system. I also welcome the Prime Minister of the Polish Republic, of course. We have still something to do here ... I perceive this moment very strongly. Entering the Schengen area is for our citizens comparable with the fall of the Berlin Wall, with cutting barbed wires after the downfall of communism. After the fall of totalitarian regime we became free again. By the entering the Schengen area we confirmed our affiliation to free European nations. Now we are definitely becoming to be on an equal footing with these free nations. Thus, the internal borders of the Schengen area have been definitely removed for our citizens. I would compare it with the break of the first iron band of Kostej the Immortal. Now, the other two iron bands should break: the free movement of workers and services. Then, the new European countries will not be suppressed by anything. When I am speaking about the importance of the enlarged Schengen area, I must also mention the principal mission of the European Union. It is the enlargement of the space of stability, prosperity and security. It is necessary to keep the European Union open to further countries, as it was in the case of entering the Schengen area by new countries of the EU. It is necessary to break that psychological barrier - the barrier of fears of new members, which is sometime much stronger than an iron curtain. In the case of the Schengen area we were successful in overcoming that barrier of fears. Let us try to do the same in case of enlargement of the European Union itself. I am pleased that I can begin together with the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk the removal of barriers here on the Polish-Czech border, on the border where Czech and Polish dissidents used to meet in the time of the totalitarian regime. Now, we can visit each other whenever we like, without policemen and passport controls. Let us remove the last barriers, let us head for Europe without division lines, both real lines and lines in our minds. Let us head for really free Europe.