The D66 politician and former State Secretary and Minister is known as a European through and through. Therefore his lecture could not have come at a better time: one week before the European Parliamentary elections. The Blauwe Zaal was packed with students from 42 countries, each of which had their own unique view of the subject.

Brinkhorst’s vision is clear: Europe is the future. There is absolutely no need to fear a super state. “Brussels will never be a state government. It should become a common platform for all countries in Europe”, Brinkhorst advocates. He resolutely rejects the assumption that the Netherlands will be snowed under as a small country. “Nonsense. The European countries need each other. Ireland is a fine example of a small country that has actually become stronger through cooperation. It is moving out of the shadow of Great Britain and is clearly gaining an identity of its own. It has meanwhile become one of the richest countries of the EU.”

Generation gaps
With almost fifty years of political experience and even more experience of life, 72-year-old Brinkhorst knows what he is talking about. Generation gaps account for different expectations. “When I was your age, it was inconceivable that a poor country like the Czech Republic would belong to the EU thirty years later. And yet it happened. The time and place of your birth determine your perspective.”

World War II and the period of colonization are events, asserts Brinkhorst, which are not positive for Europe. “History leaves a mark on the present, but faith in the future is the main thing”, he says. People are still clinging too much to today and are afraid of the future. “Are we locking ourselves in or are we looking at the challenges that are ahead? I want Europe to be a subject of history, not an object.”

The multicultural audience listens to the lecture calmly and with poise. Yet the question time makes it abundantly clear that not everybody agrees with Brinkhorst. The students voice critical comments. Bulgarian Svetozar Dimitrov (25, a student at the Central European University) thinks that the view held by Brinkhorst can do with some nuances. According to this student there was undue emphasis on a negative past. “Colonization was not only bad. Put yourself in that day and age. Europe brought many new things to the colonies, which help to mold the policy of the future. Surely we do not only have to feel guilty about that.”

One identity
Enlargement makes us stronger. According to Brinkhorst Europe should radiate one identity, without individual countries having to lose their personalities. “Within Europe you can clearly see differences between countries. Still, when you are in Japan, you are European. By presenting one identity together, European countries will jointly create support in the world.”

While a group of students, wearing clothes with the logo of the Socialist Party (SP), gets into a fierce discussion with Brinkhorst afterwards, the European students themselves are setting to work in workshops. Brinkhorst has clearly made some students think. Russian Veta Khoang (22, a student at the Russian Academy of Foreign Trades), one of few non-Europeans for that matter, is impressed. “He really cares about what he says. I did not have a lot of information about Europe, but thanks to his lecture I understand much better what is going on.”/.