european parliament on thursday in brussels he is working to prevent around from acquiring nuclear weapons free he them to give approval to access bank records in europe. this is half an hour. .

[applause] >> dear vice president, excellencies, dear colleagues, dear friends, it is a great privilege for me to welcome mr. joseph biden, the 47th vice- president of the united states. [applause] vice president biden has been at key figure in american politics -- a key figure in american politics and a friend to colleagues in this chamber for many years. he was first elected to the u.s. senate in 1972. he served as one of the youngest senator is in his country's history. he was reelected six times before becoming vice president of united states in november, 2008. a former chairman of the senate foreign relations committee and the senate judiciary committee, he is known to speak his mind. he defends causes which are far from popular at the time. he leads opinion, he does not follow opinion. so that is the reason for your speech today, mr. vice president, to the european

parliament is so important and so crucial for all of us. let me thank you once again for your very warm invitation and you're very constructive and fruitful discussions last week in washington. today'sleagues, in world, europe and america can and should work together in a partnership for global stability and enlightened values. vice president biden's visit to the european union today demonstrates this commitment. we should attack this as equal partners -- the united states and european union. we must find lasting solutions to the many challenges we face -- climate change, energy security, the current crisis. it is still hitting all of us to terrorist are defending -- terrorists -- is still hitting all of us. terrorists, free trade, so many

other things. president ronald reagan addressed this parliament on the 8th of may, 1985. this was the last, and so far the only time, that a u.s. president has spoken to the democratically-elected colleagues here. your presence is a symbol of the renewal of that dialogue at the highest levels between our two countries. cities in europe, we have a new treaty. it is so important for the european union, giving us in the european parliament, new possibilities to act. it is very important. in america, after one year

after president obama's election, there is new hope for the world. the timing of your address, mr. vice president, could not be better. mr. vice president, it is a great pleasure to welcome you here this afternoon to europe's parliament. the floor is yours. >> thank you. [applause] >> mr. president, thank you for that welcome. it was a delight to have you in washington and at the white house. it is a great honor and privilege to be able to address

such an esteemed body. i served in a parliament that only had 435 members total. this is an even greater honor. when president reagan -- i remember his speech here in 1985. to quote an irish poet, sepaking of -- speaking of ireland, he said, "all's changed. changed utterly. a terrible beauty has been born." much has changed since 1985 and the terrible beauty has been born -- born. as you already know, not only am i pleased to be back here in brussels for the second time as

vice president, some american politicians and journalists prefer to washington, d.c., as the capital of the free world. it seems to me that, in this great city, which boasts 1000 years of history, and which serves as the capital of belgium, the home of the european union and the headquarters for nato, this city had that -- has its own legitimate claim to that title. as a lawmaker for more than 36 years in our parliament, i feel particularly honored to address the european parliament. president obama and i were the first running mates in the last 50 years in america to make it to the white house from our legislative bodies. so we both come to our executive jobs with a deep appreciation for the work you do here in the fashion of european democracy.

together, with my former colleagues in the united states congress, you and i represent more than 800 million people. stop and think about that momentarily. two elected bodies that shade the loss or almost 1/8 of the planet's population -- shape the laws for almost 1/8 of the plant population. you have taken on a broader responsibility that comes with that increased influence. we welcome that. we the united states need strong allies and alliances. that will help us tackle the problems of the 21st century. many of those of the same, and many are different. let me say this plainly. the obama and by an administration -- and biden administration has no doubt about for the need for and

supports a vibrant european union. we believe it is absolutely essential to american prosperity and long-term security. have no doubt about that. when i chaired the united states senate foreign relations committee for those years, i had the opportunity to meet many european lawmakers from the national and legislative bodies, including some of you in this room today. i appreciate what a consequential step it has been to build the only multi- national parliament in the world, elected by suffrage. so much has changed. i am pleased that through this dialogue, you are building a strong relationship with the united states congress. i hope that the office you

opened in washington last month is going to enhance those ties. 65 years ago this week, less than 200 kilometers south of here, nazi leaders signed an unconditional surrender that brought an end to the second world war in europe. the next day, celebrations erupted in times square and piccadilly circus. cheering crowds danced along the streets and the town squares throughout the allied world. here in brussels, a bank's giving service -- a thanksgiving service, where church source said multiple national anthems -- church services sang multiple national anthems. this continent lay in ruins, ravaged by price -- ravaged twice in 30 years. at that moment, a peaceful, united europe, european

parliament -- it must have seemed like a fantasy to anyone alive. and yet, through the will of your fellow citizens and statesmen, like the man for whom this great hall is named, and all of the visions that gave birth to parliament, here we are, assembled in this hall. here you are. what began as a simple pact among half a dozen nations to create a common market for coal and steel grew into an economic and political power house, a community dedicated to free thought, free movement, and free enterprise, and europe that one historian has called "not so much a place, but an idea."

i am here to reaffirm that president obama's and i believe in this idea -- obama and i believe in this idea and in the world that it does already helped bring about. you have one from a unified voice. bolster the cultural and political values that my country shares with all of you. europe that is whole, a europe that is free, and a europe that is at peace. [applause] as president obama said in problem little more than one year ago, a strong europe makes a stronger partner for the united states and we need strong partners. that is why we will do everything we can to support

this great endeavor of yours. the past 65 years have shown that when americans and europeans devote their energies to common purposes, there are almost no things we are unable to accomplish. together, through the marshall plan, we rebuild europe and made perhaps the greatest investment in human history. we built the world's most enduring security alliance, nato, and state political force that ties america and europe together and brought us even closer. together, we established the greatest commercial relationship in the world's history, comprising 40% of global trade and helping in an era of social prosperity. together, we provide hope and relief to those suffering q but terry catastrophes in more places than i can mention -- suffering catastrophes in more places that i can mention.

to those skeptics, who in spite of these accomplishments, continue to question the state of transatlantic relationships or might countries' attitudes toward a united europe, my answer is this -- even if the u.s. and the nation's all of you represent were not united by shared values and common heritage of many millions of our citizens, myself included, our global interests alone would inexorably bind us together and. the relationship between my country and europe is as strong as -- as strong and as important as all of us as it has ever been. this century has unleashed new challenges, no less dangerous than those before. together, we are taking them on one by one. there are difficult. there will be disagreement but we are taking them on jointly. climate change, one of the

greatest threats our planet faces. the u.s. and europe are working to ensure that all countries, especially the major economies, are contributing to a global solution. we all look to and did take a major step forward in copenhagen. we now have to carry out those emission cuts, the financing and the transparency called for in that accord. we must help the most vulnerable nations from the arctic north, the pacific islands, that are the harbingers of this looming crisis. across the troubled line state -- landscape of afghanistan and pakistan, which are working to disrupt al qaeda and taliban fighters and to train an afghan army and police force so their government can protect its own people and not be a threat to its neighbors. in order to build the governing capacity of afghanistan, the united states and european

union are deploying significant resources. sustaining these missions has not always been popular but you know, as i do, it is required. as leaders, which have an obligation to make the case to our populations that this is necessary for our collective security. believe me, as a politician who has stood for office for 38 years, i understand, it is not easy. i assure you, it is no more popular in my country then it is in any of yours. it is also what the u.s. and europe are standing side by side, to prevent iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. a development that would in danger citizens and neighbors, including some of our closest allies. together, we embark on an

unprecedented path of engagement with the iranian leaders. [applause] >> despite what some skeptics thought, the president meant what he said that we will reach out our hand to any party that will on clench their fists. at the outset of this the administration, president obama stated we are prepared to deal with iran with mutual respect. and we made clear to their leaders how they could begin to rebuild confidence within the international community including granting access to their previously undeclared enrichment facilities and it's changing uranium for fuel to power a research reactor. as the world has watched and seen iranian leaders refuse -- refused to take responsibility put their program violates its

obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and risks sparkingga nuclear arms race in the middle east. when did not be ironic -- would it not be ironic that as the iron curtain fell and the mutual threats of nuclear destruction diminished among the superpowers that a new arms race would emerge and some of the most unstable parts of the world? it would be an irony that our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren would not forgive us for allowing to come to pass. in addition, iranisn leaders support terrorists from don't they allow the persecution of

their citizens that take to the streets for peace, it a trail of the duty of all governments in terms of what they owe their citizens. iran faces a stark choice, abide by international rules and rejoin the community of responsible nations, which we hope for, or face further consequences and increasing isolation. in the face of the threat they pose, we are committed to the security of our allies. that is why we deployed the face adaptive missile program, to deter and defend against missile could -- missile attacks on this continent. [applause] >> we are also working together inside nato to prepare for future security threats,

including cyber security. we continue to support close security cooperation between nato and the eu. last year, the u.s. and europe acted quickly and decisively -- decisively won the world was reeling from a dire financial crisis. in doing so, we collectively helped prevent a total collapse of the world economy. today, president obama and five are closely following the economic and financial crisis in greece efforts to deal with it. we welcome the support package that you are considering in conjunction with the imf. we will be supportive directly and through the imf of your efforts as a rescue greece. these examples show why europe continues to not just be america's largest trading

partner but our most important ally. ladies and gentlemen, our predecessors came together more than six decades ago this week to begin to build institutions designed to ensure that the 21st century's darkest chapters would not be repeated. those institutions and to this institution have been a great success but we now have to set our sights on the challenges of this new century. the world has changed. it has utterly changed. a terrible beauty has been born. perhaps the most complex threat we face today off is that posed to our own citizens by non- state actors and violent extremists. particularly, if god forbid, those extremists were able to get their hands on weapons of mass destruction. the scourged has no respect for

borders. no single nation, no matter how strong or wealthy, organized or capable, can meet this threat alone. but it can only be successfully contained if we make common cause. that is precisely what we must do. the new powers granted this parliament in the lisbon treaty gave you a greater role in that struggle and a greater imperative to govern responsibly. the u.s. government and this parliament have struggled over how to best protect citizens without yielding the foundational rights on which all of our societies are built. i am absolutely confident that we must and can protect our citizens and preserve our liberties. since taking office last year, president obama and i have been guided by our constitution's

imperative come up to seek a more perfect union. toward that end, one of our first official acts was to end the interrogation practices that produced few results and that we could not in good conscience continue. [applause] >> we ordered the closure of the detention center at guantanamo bay that has become a symbol of injustice and a rallying cry for terrorists. [applause] >> we appreciate the support, difficult as it has been, that you have provided in this effort. we did these things because like you cannot we reject the false choice between safety and ideals. we believe that upholding our

principles only makes us stronger and by compromising them actually undermine our efforts in the broader struggle against violent extremism. their purpose is to change what we value cannot change how we conduct ourselves. eight days after the september 11, a tax, i told a group of -- after the september 11 attack, i told a group of thousands of university students in my country that they cannot allow the tragedy of 9/11 and our way of life because that is exactly what the terrorists sought. i told the we cannot prevail and the struggle by acting alone. those words have not only fit that time but i think they have proven to be true and there are no less true today. i do not need to tell this audience about europe's proud tradition of protecting

citizens. a commitment grounded in respect for the inherent dignity of all people. we called them inalienable rights. we've broken into our constitution. -- we wrote them into our constitution. our commitment to privacy is profound. it is as profound as yours. our constitution's fourth amendment protects individuals against unreasonable search and seizures by the state. that is one of our -- one of our most famous jurist declare that the right to be left alone. it has been made clear that privacy is a constitutionally- protected and fundamental right. like the eu, the supreme court has characterized this right as a matter of personal dignity.

on a personal level, i have for 36 years defended privacy rights. in the u.s. senate, every year, there are organizations that rate those most committed to civil liberties and every year, i was characterized as one of those four people picked. the reason i tell you this is not about me but about the commitment of our administration to individual rights. to change now would make a lie of everything i have said i stood for in my country for the past 37 years. on the senate judiciary committee responsible for confirming judicial nominees, i said i was consistently ranked among the staunchest advocates

of civil liberties and i made it a priority to determine perspective judge's views on privacy before deciding whether or not they could go on to the court. president obama and i also believe that the government's primary and most fundamental and solemn duty is to protect its citizens. and protect the rights they hold. president obama has said that keeping our country safe is the first thing he thinks about when he wakes up in the morning and the last thing keeping some about before going to bed. i suspect that is held every world leader looks at the their role. indeed, no less than privacy, physical safety is also an inalienable right. a government that abdicates its duty to insure the safety of its citizens violates its rights and a government that silences

dissidents or imprison criminals without trial. even as we gather here today, our and abuse are employing every tool they can muster to conduct new in devastating attacks like the one that struck new york, london, madrid, and many other places around the globe. to stop them, we must use every legitimate tool available, law enforcement, military enforcement, that is consistent with our principles, values and laws. we are fighting on many fronts. from the brave men and women serving abroad to the patient and tireless law enforcement professionals investigating suspicious of financial networks. just this week, our customs and border protection, using passenger information data, apprehended a suspect in the attempted bombing of times square.

it is vital that we maintain every capacity that we have under the law to stop -- to stop such attacks. we believe that the in finance tracking program is key to our safety. it has provided critical leads to counter terrorism investigations on both sides of the atlantic come up disrupted plots, and ultimately has saved lives. it has built in redundancies that ensure personal information is respected and used only for counter-terrorism purposes. i do not blame you for questioning it. we understand your concerns. as a consequence, we are working together to address them. i am absolutely confident that we can succeed to both used the tool and a guarantee privacy. it is important that we do so. it is important that we do so as quickly as possible. as a former senator, i also know how hard it can be to make

the hard choices required by global challenges while saying this -- while staying true to local values. all of you are going through that every time you vote a suspect. the longer we are without an agreement on the terrorist financing tracking program, the greater the risk of a terrorist attack the could have been prevented. as leaders, we share a responsibility to do everything we can within the law to protect the 800 million people we serve. we have disagreed before. we will disagree again. i am equally convinced that the u.s. and europe to meet the challenges of the 21st century as we did in the 20th century, if we talk and listen to one another. if we are honest with one another. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, courage, winston churchill courage, winston churchill taught us, is what it takes to