The Head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who is taking a tour of the Western Balkans, expressed the hope that representatives of the fresh generation of Europeans, educated by the European College in Tirana, will aid accelerate the integration of the Western Balkans and the federalisation of Europe, resisting nationalism.
During the Wednesday inauguration ceremony of the College of Europe campus in Tirana, the EC president opposed “Europeanism” to “nationalism”. She pointed out that before the imagination of Europe's unification appeared, "a group of European pioneers had a visionary idea: "Let us build an academy to rise leaders of tomorrow; leaders who will unite Europe – a fresh generation, for a fresh beginning." This was to be “one of the first foundations of European integration”. – Before coal and steel everything started with college.’ And then, forty years later, erstwhile the iron curtain yet collapsed, the patron saint of your college, the large Jacques Delors, took the next step. He cut a ribbon of Natolin campus in Poland to rise a fresh generation of leaders in Central and east Europe. But, as they say, good things always come in threes. After Bruges and Natolin, we're here in Tirana. erstwhile again, we are at a turning point for Europe. And one more time our household is preparing to unite - She pointed out.
Von der Leyen talked about the request to extend the EU to countries between the Adriatic and the Black Sea. She mentioned that the negotiations for accession to the Union with Albania entered a fresh phase.
The European College in Tirana is to be “an avant-garde of European integration” and the students there are “pioneers of next day Europe”. However, the EC chief pointed out that there were obstacles to further unification.
– Today, the wind of change is blowing again, here in the Western Balkans, as well as in Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia and throughout our continent. But there are also winds that blow in the other direction, towards divisions, nationalism and oppression She said. She pointed to destabilizing forces that argue the integration of the Western Balkans and “confront old conflicts”.
Von der Leyen proposed a "more proactive" reaction to this "new reality". In her opinion, 1 cannot “sit and wait”. – This is the basic fact that must guide our actions today: either we are going backwards or we are going forward. And I know that your generation, here in the Western Balkans, wants to decision forward. Most of you were born after the 1990s. You are more connected to the remainder of Europe than any generation before you. You believe in Europe. So you deserve to know that Europe besides believes in you. We believe that you will be citizens of our Union and that you will bring fresh energy and enthusiasm to our family She stressed.
She added that “time to decision forward at maximum speed”. The Western Balkans join the Single Euro Payments Area to reduce the cost of transferring money; to the network of digital start-ups centres; to the Alliance for Critical Medicines; to transport corridors.
A fresh generation of Europeans is expected to be educated in the fresh university to transform the EU, opposed to European values of reasoning in national terms.
Source: ec.europa.eu
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