If somebody had told me back in 1979 that I would be part of a political community that would include three nations formerly occupied by the Soviet Union - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - as well as the Warsaw Pact countries of Poland, Czechoslovakia (now two states), Hungary and Slovenia, and that Germany would be united as part of the European community and member of the European Union, my answer would have been "this is a hope, this is a vision".
Kui keegi oleks mulle 1979. aastal öelnud, et ma olen osa poliitilisest liidust, kuhu kuuluvad kolm endist Nõukogude Liidu maad - Eesti, Läti ja Leedu – ning Varssavi pakti maad Poola, Tšehhoslovakkia (nüüd kaks riiki), Ungari ja Sloveenia, ning et Saksamaa on osa Euroopa ühiskonnast ja Euroopa Liidust, siis minu vastus oleks olnud, et see on minu lootus ja visioon.