We have seen that the price of inaction is high. We have seen how it leaves the economy vulnerable to instability. We have seen how the perceived impotence of public authorities in meeting the needs of their people feeds into frustration and rejection.
And we have seen how that risks undermining trust in and support for our institutions – and even the European Union itself. So to my mind there is only one way ahead, and that is to complete the vision that Theo Waigel left us. But progress today must be different from the past.