The operation to replace my right hip took place in Brussels on 13 January 1997. It was a complete success. I was out of hospital in seven days and back working half-time at the European Commission in seven weeks.

Over the years I have become rather disenchanted with anniversaries and commemorations. When I worked as a journalist they always meant writing-up a feature simply for the sake of doing so. There was rarely any real research or enthusiasm. In politics, anniversaries and commemorations rarely fell at an opportune moment. More often than not they reminded people of past failure and stress rather than achievements and celebration.

Neither the Moran nor Keery families are great people for festivities either, so Anne and I are generally low key where birthdays and other anniversaries are concerned. We had however decided – exceptionally – that our 30th wedding anniversary, on 4 April 1997, should be marked significantly. Far in advance we had booked a week’s holiday in Venice with our friends David and Elizabeth Challen, who had themselves been married on 3 April 1967 and were among the guests at our wedding the following day.

Once again, Venice was warm and welcoming and its collections and churches stimulated a great deal of reflection about Europe’s past and future. I argued that the health of cities will again become a key factor in the continent’s economic future. David was sceptical that the economic future would ever be sufficiently stable to sustain a single currency.

The long discussions over dinner in favourite restaurants were immensely enjoyable after days wondering at the art of Bellini and Carpaccio. Anne’s and Elizabeth’s linguistic skills came into their own when negotiating bargains or making the best choice of wine and pasta.

In a European Union context, May saw the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. This brought some media profile for the achievements of the European Communities. I noted that few, apart from myself, seemed to recall that 10 May 1997 was the 25th anniversary of Ireland’s 1972 “Into Europe” referendum, perhaps the high point of my own contribution to the future of my country and of the European Communities. Although progress had undoubtedly taken longer than necessary, I was proud that 1997 had seen income per head in Ireland reach the level of the United Kingdom, although I had to admit that the state of the British economy should never have fallen to its current level.

1997 had at last seen the implementation of further constitutional change in Ireland. Divorce was now possible. This long-overdue change in the country’s family law should have been possible in the 1970s if courageously handled. Nevertheless, any such advance was better late than never. I am certain that the great improvements in Irish education and training, funded in large part by the European Community, and combined with the overall impact of partnership in Europe, have been factors in facilitating wider social change in Ireland.

1997 was a troubled year globally, including for Europe and Belgium itself. There were terrible situations in Zaire and Albania in which no one seemed able to help. The challenge of reform and of reorganisation of the judicial system in Belgium, following the disastrous handling of a series of child murder and paedophile cases, seemed beyond the capacity of even the most energetic government. I see these crises as underlining the need for new types of governance in the global world of the future. This search for effective democratic governance is being frustrated by what some call “a crisis of rationality”.

Since ideological politics disintegrated, the yearning everywhere has been for better management: of the economy, of social policy, of the environment, of energy, of technology and so on. But how can reason and calm reflection be brought into play through a new world order which is ill-equipped to oversee adequately the complexity of today? Furthermore, in both the US and Europe, the politics of the real world, grassroots politics, is dominated by voices focused on issues of the moment which make it almost impossible for leaders to draw attention to the interconnections between economic, social and environmental considerations or broader long-term implications. How long will it take for a global management system matching the needs of the world community to emerge from the uncertainty and confusion of the transition from the 20th to 21st centuries?

Read more: 1998 – The Importance of Reading