Thank you for inviting me to exchange some views with you, in the climate of rapid change – and therefore uncertainty – that seems to be prevailing today. In discussing the problems the European Union currently has to face, I would not want to burden you with the detail of the important, but impassioned, debate on their common future that the European countries have undertaken.

I would therefore suggest linking my analysis of Europe’s future to the formidable challenges confronting the world. For what can be achieved in a large region of the world can contribute, to a greater or lesser extent, to establishing a set of rules and practices for making our planet a more pleasant and peaceful place and ensuring that its development is more sustainable.