President Lech Wałęsa one of the Wise Men

President Lech Wałęsa was chosen to be a member of the reflection group during the EU summit in Brussels (16.10.2008). The originator, French President, Nicolas Sarkozy would like this committee to deal with long-term issues for the EU such as globalization, climate change, immigration, instability of the labour market. It is due to prepare the EU for changes in the next 20 years and to adjust - expensive but recognized in the West as treasure - the European social model connecting tough rules of the market with social solidarity. The group's aim, as reported in the summit in 2007, is to "frame an image and borders of the Europe of tomorrow". However, the group will avoid the issue of Europe's final borders. The group shall not discuss institutional questions.
Felipe Gonzalez, former (Socialist) prime minister of Spain (1982 to 1996), has been appointed to lead the future reflection group. He will be assisted by two vice-presidents: Jorna Ollila, former chairman of the Finnish cell phone manufacturer, Nokia and Latvia's former head of state Vaira Vike-Freiberga. The other members will be: Mario Monti, an Italian Member of the European Commission responsible for competition, Wolfgang Schuster, a German politician and member of the CDU (The Christian Democratic Union of Germany), Nicole Notat, the former leader of the CFDT (French Democratic Confederation of Labour), Lykke Friis, Prorector at the University of Copenhagen, an expert in European issues and climate change, Rem Koolhaas, a Dutch architect, columnist, designer of famous Casa da Música in Porto, Portugal, Richard Lambert, former „Financial Times" journalist and present Director of the Confederation of British Industry, Rainer Münz, an Austrian expert in demography and migration, Kalypso Nicolaidis, Professor of International Relations and Director of the European Studies Centre at Oxford University.
President Lech Wałęsa is the only former head of state accompanied by academicians and experts in European issues (...) He is also very content with the fact that He was chosen to the reflection group. I will try to build new Europe. I have a vision of Europe and I fought for it to be different - He told the Polish Press Agency.

"Gazeta Wyborcza"