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RESOLUTION
ON THE 3 MAY CONSTITUTION
19 April 2007
Vilnius
marking the anniversary of the Government Deed adopted by the Polish Crown and the Seimas of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania on 3 May 1791 and the anniversary of the Mutual Pledge of the Two Nations of 20 October 1791,
voices its respect for Lithuanians and Poles – the authors of the 3 May Constitution, the testament of the Commonwealth of the Two Nations, promoting civil rights and liberties, tolerance, religious freedom and peace and based on equal cooperation of the two European states;
the 3 May Constitution created a link between the European Christian traditions and the Enlightenment period values, helped the formation and subsequent survival through all the partitions, periods of loss of liberty and occupation of the Lithuanian and Polish nations. The first written Constitution in Europe established such values as religious freedom, equality before law, tolerance, separation of powers and state government based on the will of the people and laid the foundations for the development of civil society of our states.
The 3 May Constitution consolidated the legacy of the peacefully formed Commonwealth that was soon ruthlessly dismantled. Now, with the passage of more than 200 years, we, already being full-fledged and solidary members of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, refer to the constitutional ideas raised by our forefathers . The European unity, the accession by Lithuania and Poland to the North Atlantic Alliance and to the European Union signify the putting into action of the idea of a peaceful, democratic and law-governed state of our continent – the Commonwealth of the Two Nations. The idea inspired the struggle of the Polish “Solidarnoćś” and the Reform Movement of Lithuania “Sąjūdis“ as the struggle for the rebirth of the free Lithuanian Republic and Polish Republic.
Establishing the independence of the nations of the free world requires consistent actions for the sake of freedom and democracy. The task we are currently faced with is to join our efforts in addressing the problems encountered by our states, Europe and the world, as well as to implement common goals in developing bilateral relations and cooperation in the European Union. We strive to share the acquired experience with other European states which seek to strengthen freedom and democracy. We also believe that the process of European integration will not be complete if not joined by the nations whose European aspiration is our common commitment.
We are faithful to our forefathers‘ conviction that the nations‘ freedom, peace and democracy will remain the highest values for the generations to come. Faithfulness to the ideas of the first written Constitution in Europe still means common responsibility for the future of united and strong Europe.
