Bild: KAS Nordics
Reflektioner av Gunnar Hökmark, ordförande för Frivärld
Rundabordssamtal arrangerat av Konrad Adenauer Stiftelsen i Stockholm den 4 mars 2026, som markerar 150-års jubileet för Konrad Adenauers födelse.
Meine Damen und Herren,
Wenn man über Konrad Adenauer spricht, sollte man wenigstens zwei seiner Gedanken in seiner eigenen Sprache zitieren.
Er sagte einmal:
„Die Einheit Europas war ein Traum von wenigen. Sie wurde eine Hoffnung für viele. Heute ist sie eine Notwendigkeit für uns alle.“
Und an anderer Stelle sagte er: „Die Zukunft des Abendlandes hängt davon ab, ob Europa sich zusammenschließt.“
Adenauer understood that the unity of Europe was never meant to replace our nations. It was meant to make them stronger. After the devastation of the twentieth century, he saw that the freedom of each European country depended on the strength of Europe as a whole.
At a profoundly formative moment in history, he helped lay the foundations for a Europe that could rise from the past and face the threats of its time — a time when the Soviet Union placed one country after another under communist rule.
At that time, the aim was to make war between European nations unthinkable. Today, the task is to make Europe strong enough to face threats from outside. His insight is, if anything, even more relevant today.
Economically, Europe must strengthen its ability to innovate, invest and compete. A deeper single market, stronger capital markets and openness to trade and technology are not bureaucratic ambitions, they are the foundations of European prosperity and independence.
In security terms, Europe must be able to deter aggression and defend its freedom. The war launched by Russia against Ukraine reminds us that peace in Europe is never automatic. Strong alliances, stronger defence capabilities and a Europe willing to take responsibility for its own security are essential.
Geopolitically, Europe must also understand the new world we live in. We face the pressure of Russian aggression, the systemic challenge from China, and at times even the impatience, and arrogance, of our closest ally across the Atlantic. In such a world, European unity is not about symbolism or pride. It is about strategic necessity.
That is why Adenauer’s words still speak to us today. Europe must understand that it carries a responsibility far beyond its borders. Whether we like it or not, we are among the pillars of the free world.
The unity of Europe was once a dream. Today it is the condition for our freedom, our prosperity and our influence in the world.
The future of the West, and of the free world, still depends on Europe, just as Adenauer once said.
