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Brussels – The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, called on Thursday on the occasion of Europe Day to continue building the common project of the European Union.
On the other hand, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, traveled to Kyiv to celebrate Europe Day in the Ukrainian capital. And the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, set the example of Europe as a driver of peace, having succeeded in turning countries that were enemies into “best friends.”
“On Europe Day, we honor Robert Schuman’s vision of a united, peaceful, and prosperous Europe,” Von der Leyen said via social media, referring to the speech 74 years ago by the then French Foreign Minister, who proposed the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community.
The ECSC (initially formed by France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg) was the first of a series of supranational institutions that would become what is today the European Union.
“We celebrate the people who built our Union. And those who continue to build it every day,” emphasized Von der Leyen.
For his part, Michel shared on social media a video in which he recalled that the European Union “was initially an idea, a dream, that of a reconciled, unified Europe.”
“The dream of a Europe that works for more prosperity, to improve living conditions,” he explained.
Michel highlighted that Europe Day is the occasion to “reaffirm our unwavering determination to continue building stone by stone this European project that unites us all.”
The EU, a Driver of Peace
“It is becoming increasingly relevant to show how it is possible for those who have been fighting each other for years to not only become good neighbors, but best friends,” emphasized Borrell in a video published on social media for Europe Day.
He recalled that, 74 years ago, following the declaration by Robert Schuman in which he outlined the germ of what would become the EU, “the message that former enemies can create peace and build a better future is no less relevant, on the contrary”
He assured that, in a world where there is more confrontation and less cooperation, the EU “wants to continue to be a strong advocate of a fair and effective multilateral system, ready to shape a fair future for everyone.”
Metsola Celebrates Europe Day in Kyiv
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, expressed today in Kyiv before the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, her confidence that the European Council will approve before the Hungarian presidency, which will start on July 1, the negotiation framework on the integration of Ukraine into the EU.
“The accession negotiations must begin as soon as possible and I am optimistic,” she said about the possibility that the decision will be made during the month of June, when the current Belgian presidency ends, according to the Kyiv publication Ukrainska Pravda.
Hungary will assume the semi-annual presidency of the EU on July 1. The government of Budapest has shown reluctance to advance towards the accession of Ukraine to the EU. (May 9)