Greetings from Vaclav Havel on the occasion of the Congress

It is a great honour and joy for me to act as the patron of the 2nd International PRO EUROPE Congress in Berlin.

This Congress, entitled "Green Dot 2004 - Recycling Benefits for Future Generations" is the climax of the European Recycling Week for 2004. At the same time, it has a wider resonance because the preservation of our environment is a challenge that is increasingly becoming a global one. The recycling of packaging materials is part of the answer to the question of how natural resources can best be used in a sustainable way, and thus maintained for future generations.

Actively taking on responsibility for the environment: that is also the objective of the European Youth Eco-Parliament. Together with my own initiative of the Student's FORUM 2000 Conference in Prague, this is another important opportunity for young people to voice their opinions on how to safeguard their interests in designing the future of a sustainable Europe.

In this year of the European Union's expansion through the entry of the eastern European states, this Congress will extend beyond its central theme, and in so doing, will provide all of Europe with food for thought. PRO EUROPE'S commitment in the field of packaging recycling and the co-operation of Green Dot countries exemplify how eastern and western Europe can grow together in implementing a policy of sustainability through co-operation, understanding and shared responsibility.

I particularly commend the foresight of PRO EUROPE in bringing stakeholders from all groups involved in the recycling of packaging material to Berlin this year, for two significant reasons. Firstly, there is the daunting task that all participants to this international Congress will face during two days of intensive debate and discussions. In this historic academic setting, some of the major environmental challenges of our time will be placed under the spotlight in a constructive, practical, and possibly even a controversial manner. Secondly, I welcome the selection of Berlin as the location for the Congress. The choice of Berlin, at the very heart of Europe, reflects and complements the realities of the new and caring unified Europe to which we all espouse.

PRO EUROPE is creating a model of international co-operation. As a committed European, I welcome the signals for a sustainable way of life that will go out from this Congress, visible signals and timely inspiration for the future, to an expanded Europe far beyond Berlin.