Verklaring Buitenlandchef Ashton over overlijden Havel (en)

EUROPEAN UNION

Brussels, 18 December 2011 A

Statement by the EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on the death of Vaclav Havel

Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission made the following statement:

"It was with great sadness that I learnt today of the death of Vaclav Havel. He was a man of immense courage, who fought for freedom and democracy in the most difficult circumstances.

Vaclav Havel was one of the great Europeans of his generation, who went on to become an inspirational leader of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. His name will forever be synonymous with the successful struggle for freedom in Central and Eastern Europe and the reunification of Europe.

Vaclav Havel's commitment to freedom was unwavering, despite great personal cost. His involvement with the Charter 77 movement was an inspiration to all those fighting for democracy around the world.

Yet despite all his achievements, Vaclav Havel remained a true man of the people, a modest man whose unique sense of humour always shone through. His legacy will live on through his writing, but most of all through his extraordinary life story, which will inspire us all long into the future.

I send my sincere condolences to his family and friends and the Czech people. "