European Commission | Speech by President von der Leyen at the opening plenary session of the European Political Community Summit

My dear friend Edi,

Thank you very much for convening us here.

The changes we are living through are historic, without any question. When the Wall fell in 1989, the end of history was proclaimed, and we assumed that economic and political freedom would eventually converge and that this would unite people. Now, as we are here today, history is back, and so are geopolitics. What we had perceived as a world order, is becoming a world disorder, triggered not least by Putin’s imperialist ambitions and other geopolitical struggles. In recent years, the need for a wake-up call for Europe has often been articulated.

Today, Europe is awake – wide awake. And we know that we must leap forward: We have to close the innovation gap, boost our competitiveness, build our own resilience, and widen and deepen the network of partnerships around the world. We all have learnt that when there are big crises, Europe certainly provides some of the big answers.

In the last years – the pandemic, the climate crisis, the energy crisis, Russia’s war against Ukraine – all these are serious crises that have really challenged us, but Europe has emerged bigger and stronger from every crisis. Europe has moved closer together in the face of these turning points in history and Europe has stood united in its unwavering support to Ukraine. Because we should not forget: This is also why the European Political Community was created, to rally around Ukraine in the face of Russia’s aggression and preserve peace on the continent – while Russia has left Europe.

The mere fact that we are sitting here today, together with you, Volodymyr, is proof of our ironclad unity. For three long years now, we have demonstrated our unity, our resolve and ever greater cooperation – to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine, to find a path towards a peace settlement and strong security guarantees for the country.

And all along the way most members of the EPC supported hard hitting sanctions on Russia. These sanctions are biting: Russia’s oil and gas revenues have fallen by almost 80% compared to before the war; Russia’s deficit is skyrocketing; interest rates are prohibitively high; inflation is on the rise, well above 10%. And we are ready to do more to bring President Putin to the negotiation table. Many of the speakers mentioned it, this war has to end.

Volodymyr has described with others the roller-coaster of the last days. To be very clear again – we want peace. And so, we are working on a next set of sanctions. Main elements of this package will be for example: sanctions on Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2; further listings of vessels in the shadow fleet; a lower oil price cap; and more sanctions on the Russian financial sector. Because we want peace, and it is time to seriously engage on that.

But we are also gathered here in Tirana to build our common future, and it was wonderful to listen here to the different speakers – our future of a Europe as an area of shared prosperity. If we are successful in building this prosperity – and I have no doubt we will – that is the glue for stability and peace on our continent.

To do this, connectivity must be high on our agenda. We are already creating such opportunities through our Ukraine Facility and our Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and Moldova. And soon we will look at the Black Sea with a dedicated EU strategy for the Black Sea and a Connectivity Agenda linking Europe with Central Asia through our partners of the South Caucasus. This is an amazing vision to work on: to invest in cross-border transport infrastructures, the flow of trade, to create digital links connecting people around the European Political Community.

Our web of partnerships has been developing at the speed of light during the last three years. This is what is making the EPC more than an idea or a forum. It is the expression of our ability to address and master together the challenges that occur as Europeans. And it is with confidence, hope and determination that I can say: long live Europe.

Compliments of the European Commission