Laudatory speech by Helmut Schmidt and Valéry Giscard d’Estaing

It is a great honour to have been asked to deliver the laudatory speech for President Giscard d’Estaing and Chancellor Schmidt on the occasion of the presentation of the Jean Monnet Foundation’s Gold Medal. There is no doubt that this ceremony will remain a milestone in the history of the Foundation, as illustrated by the presence in this room of such a prestigious and numerous audience. Allow me, on this occasion, to salute on behalf of all of you the guardian of Jean Monnet’s memory and of the European flame, Professor Henri RIEBEN. His enthusiasm, rigour and intellectual curiosity cannot be praised highly enough. In 1992, he hosted one of the Science and Culture Crossroads that I organised to stimulate cultural and ethical reflection on Europe. It was only natural that the theme of the European model of society, so dear to Henri RIEBEN, an active and inspired participant in this symposium, should be developed here. The professor has chosen the right moment to honour these two statesmen who, among other decisive actions, promoted the vision and project of a European currency. This currency, already in use in fiduciary exchanges, will take the concrete form of banknotes and coins from 1 January 2002. How, as I will point out later, can we separate these two great figures who worked, decided and then campaigned together?