Lindau, 27.6.2026: Science, Freedom and Responsibilty
Auftakt mit der Bürgerschaft
Barroso, Bialiatski, Han: Three Nobel Peace Prize Laureates discuss
democracy, european responsibility and the future of UN and EU
On the eve of the 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, three Nobel Peace
Prize Laureates discussed issues of freedom, institutional responsibility,
and multilateral cooperation at the Lindau City Theatre.
Around 500 guests attended the conversation with Ales Bialiatski, former President
of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, and former
President of the UN General Assembly Han Seung-soo. For Bialiatski, it
was his first public appearance before an audience since his release
from Belarusian detention in December 2025.
Ales Bialiatski: „I had to fight for my life almost every day“
“Six months ago, I was in a different situation,” said Ales Bialiatski, who
learned of his 2022 Nobel Peace Prize while in prison. “I had to fight for
my life almost every day, for my human dignity, to remain a human
being under those harsh conditions.” He described the contrast to his
current life in stark terms: “I felt I was in complete darkness. And then,
quite suddenly, I stepped out into bright light. I see the sun, I see the
grass.”
Bialiatski recalled that around 1,000 political prisoners are currently
still held in Belarus, including human rights defenders, journalists, and
even children. He said he did not regard the Nobel Prize as a personal
award: “It was not my prize. It was a prize for Belarusian society, for
those Belarusian citizens striving for freedom.”
During his imprisonment, the Belarusian author had been working on
two novels. Both manuscripts were confiscated by the authorities
shortly before his release and were not returned. “When they released
me, I was not allowed to take a single sheet of paper with me,” he said.
“It was a direct official order from the Belarusian KGB. They took everything – my letters, even the written record of my sentence.”
José Manuel Barroso: “We should be a little proud of Europe”
José Manuel Barroso called for a more confident stance from the European Union. “Only those who do not remember yesterday’s Europe can be so negative about today’s Europe,” he said. The EU had achieve its original goal of making war between European states impossible.
“Europe is a space of freedom, peace and general prosperity. And I think
that, without any arrogance, we should be a little proud of Europe.”
Referring to EU enlargement, the former President of the European
Commission rejected common criticism of newer member states:
“Frankly, most difficulties in the European Union do not come from the
new members. It is when France and Germany do not agree that the EU
cannot move forward.” For future European leadership, Barroso placed
particular emphasis on Germany and France: “It is important to have
strong leadership from Germany. Germany is the largest country in the
EU demographically and economically – that is simply the physics of
power.”
On Belarus, he acknowledged that the EU could have done more:
“Perhaps we should commit more – not only to Belarus, but to all
countries in the world that still do not enjoy the level of freedom we
have in Europe.” On multilateral institutions, he drew a clear distinction: “It is not the
fault of the United Nations. It is the fault of the nations – or some
nations – because the UN can only deliver what member states allow.”
The UN Security Council is currently paralyzed by mutual vetoes.
“Today, frankly, the Security Council is blocked because of cross vetoes
among the major powers. While we should not replace the United
Nations – there is no better alternative so far – we should pursue other
regional and cross-regional agreements.”
Han Seung-soo: “The Challenge Is to Strengthen the United Nations
for the 21st Century”
Han Seung-soo, former President of the United Nations General
Assembly, stressed the continued indispensability of the United
Nations, but called for fundamental reform. “The challenge is not
whether we need the United Nations. The challenge is how to reform
and strengthen the United Nations for the 21st century,” he said. No
country can solve global problems alone. “When pandemics spread,
when climate change accelerates, when conflicts cross borders,
countries still turn to the United Nations.”
He also highlighted Europe’s particular responsibility. “Europe has been
a strong supporter of the United Nations, as well as of peace, human
rights and development worldwide,” he said. At the same time, he
called for greater unity within the EU: “I know there are many
individual issues among EU member states, but when they act in unity
on global challenges – not only European issues, but especially those affecting developing countries – they can have an immense impact on the world.” ( Pressemitteilung an AGORA-LA)
Hier ist der Livestream
Impressionen von heute:
Eingangsfoto(c) AGORA-LA( von links: Han Seung-soo, José Manuel Barroso, Ales Bialiatski)
Die Eröffnungszeremonie wird später hier abrufbar sein.
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