It is a great pleasure to be here with you today, at the College of Europe in Natolin.
There are few places in Europe where history speaks so clearly. When this campus was founded in 1992, Europe was emerging from the division of the Cold War. Natolin was created with a mission: to help overcome the East-West divide and prepare a new generation of Europeans to think and act beyond borders, beyond disciplines and beyond preconceptions.
Jacques Delors set this in stone when he came to Natolin in 1994 and said: “The College of Europe in Natolin is more than a symbol of a Europe reunited; it is hope made tangible here, in this beautiful place steeped in history. The hope that exchanges will multiply, bringing greater mutual understanding and fraternity.”
Today, the question is how we keep that hope when setting out a strategy for Europe’s future.
Poland offers one of the clearest examples of what that strategy can achieve. When Natolin first opened its doors, Poland was a very different country. At the end of communism, Poland’s GDP per inhabitant was only about one tenth of what it is today. Just 22 years after joining the European Union, on the back of growth of over 3% per year, Poland is today the Union’s sixth largest economy and on track to becoming the 20th biggest economy in the world, catching Switzerland.
That economic boom has been the fruit of the hard work of Polish workers and companies, but also the result of good policy choices and European Union integration. Economic studies estimate that Poland’s GDP per inhabitant is approximately 40% higher than it would have been without accession, supported by robust export growth and integration into European supply chains.
Around 2.5 million Polish citizens have taken advantage of the freedom to live and work across the European Union. While contributing to the economies of the countries where they worked, they also brought home new skills, experience and opportunities. And as Poland’s economy grew and wages increased, the country itself became a destination for workers, including from its neighbouring countries.
But Poland’s transformation was not driven by economic integration alone. The institutional foundations of European Union accession were equally important. Stronger democratic institutions, good governance, freedom of speech and research, and greater legal certainty created a more stable and predictable environment. This enabled citizens, Polish businesses and foreign investors to make the most of the opportunities that European integration offered.
This is one of the great lessons of Poland’s experience: economic opportunity and strong institutions reinforce one another.
But there is another important aspect of Poland’s transformation. Back in 1992, 50 000 Russian troops were still stationed in Poland, which at the time was not a NATO member. Today, Poland has the third largest army by headcount in NATO and the biggest in the European Union. Today, Poland stands at the forefront of the security challenges facing our continent and is playing a vital role in shaping Europe’s response to them.
The Polish experience also reminds us of something else. That the European conditions that made this transformation possible cannot simply be taken for granted. That peace without defence is an illusion.
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has demonstrated that peace and security in Europe require strength, resilience and responsibility. Poland and all the other member states are making unprecedented investments in defence and taking greater responsibility for Europe’s security. The European Defence Agency projects that their combined defence expenditure will reach around €454 billion in 2026 and could rise to €547 billion by 2029.
We must invest more, but above all we must invest better. We don’t need to replicate the same capabilities in each member state. We don’t need to multiply by 27 all our investments in defence.
What we need is efficiency and fair burden-sharing. What we need is to build a common European defence system capable of deterring external aggression and protecting our citizens.
Russia’s attacks on Ukraine are not only a threat to Ukraine. They also threaten civilian populations and the wider security of countries beyond its borders. Over the past 12 months, Russia has repeatedly threatened the security of European Union member states. Russia is increasingly turning hybrid threats into hybrid attacks. This escalation cannot be accepted. And Russia must stop this dangerous course.
Poland is on the frontline of European security, and these developments underline the need to strengthen our defence readiness, accelerate our defence agenda, and do more together to counter these threats.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Europe’s security is not only about defence. It is ultimately about our capacity to preserve our way of life: our prosperity, our freedoms, our democratic institutions, our prosperity, our social model, and our ability to shape our own future. These very values are closely linked to enlargement, making it the best geostrategic investment we can make for our future.
As Europe’s most successful grand strategy, enlargement drives economic progress, strengthens democracy and the rule of law. It expands our space of shared values, shared prosperity, and shared responsibility.
Look back once again to the 1980s, when Greece, Portugal and Spain, emerging from decades under dictatorship, consolidated their democracies and raised their prosperity through their integration into what was then the European Communities. Or to the last 22 years, when previous enlargements have added over 100 million people to our Union and boosted our shared economy by over €2 trillion.
The countries that joined since 2004 have more than doubled their economies, with new European Union members creating 26 million new jobs, over 6 million of those within the new member states. This proves that each enlargement has strengthened Europe and extended the area of peace, stability and prosperity.
Today, enlargement is once again a geostrategic priority for Europe. Ukraine’s application for membership has generated a new dynamism in the European Union’s accession process. This momentum is not limited to Ukraine alone but extends to Moldova and all six of our Western Balkan partners. Their future lies within the European Union, with a merit-based approach to accession that ensures the highest standards for all.
Each candidate must be assessed individually according to its progress and achievements, and all must share the values and objectives of the European Union. Montenegro aims to conclude its accession negotiations by the end of this year, provided all conditions are met. We should decisively move forward with Ukraine and Moldova, with the ambition of opening all accession clusters for both countries by the end of this year, in line with the necessary conditions. And we must seize the opportunity before us. We must move beyond a history of division and fragmentation and embrace, once and for all, a shared European future. Let us make enlargement a reality.
A stronger European Union is a Union that continues to build bridges beyond its current borders. That is why Europe’s security also relies on our capacity to strengthen our competitiveness and economic resilience.
Our agenda “One Market, One Europe” clearly defines the path forward.
First, we must finalise in 2028 what was left to be completed in 1992 – the Single Market.
We must integrate sectors like telecoms, energy and the capital markets. We need a Savings and Investment Union capable of turning European savings into European investment. With a new investment culture of household participation and strong consumer protection. Only integration creates resilience and shared prosperity. Only integration gives us scale to maximise our geoeconomic power abroad.
Second, we must accelerate our energy transition. It is the best long-term strategy for Europe to achieve strategic autonomy and lower prices.
The current Middle East crisis and its impact on global energy supplies reinforces the need for decarbonisation, and greater energy independence, based on our own homegrown renewable and nuclear sources.
Third, we must diversify our partnerships to reduce dangerous dependencies. This makes multilateralism more important than ever. To create spaces for dialogue, peace and shared prosperity to address the defining global challenges of today: peace, the climate emergency, economic insecurity and artificial intelligence.
That is why the European Union, together with Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, India and Kenya, countries which cover all the continents, launched two weeks ago the P4M initiative last week at the United Nations: Partners for Multilateralism, International Law, Peace and Prosperity. A network for dialogue, coalition-building and practical cooperation – from regulating artificial intelligence and reforming the global financial architecture, to investing in climate action.
That is also why we are continuing to build the world’s largest network of trade agreements, now covering 84 countries worldwide. Over the past 12 months alone, we have concluded negotiations or signed trade agreements with India, Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Mercosur and Mexico, benefiting billions of people in Europe and across the globe.
Over the past year and a half, together with President von der Leyen, I convened summits with key countries and regions: Brazil, China and India, the African Union, Latin America and Caribbeans, and Central Asia. We have also strengthened our engagement with a wide range of partners, from Canada to New Zealand, including Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Jordan, Egypt, South Africa, the United Kingdom, among many others.
We are building a truly multipolar network. This global outreach shows that North and South are plural and are working together to build long-term commitments, based on mutual interests. Instead of spheres of influence, we are weaving networks of economic and political cooperation.
This is the best way for the European Union to uphold multilateralism and international law, and to promote peace and prosperity. It is also the best way for the European Union to advance its interests and shared values. And it shows that we are not alone in the world, we are not isolated – we have a lot of friends across the globe.
Dear Students,
Next year will mark 70 years of the Treaty of Rome. There is much to be proud of. Think about the Europe of 1957: a continent still marked by war, division and mistrust.
Today, we have a European Union of 27 member states, a strong community of democracies, undeniable social progress, and the most solid Single Market in the world.
No other continent has achieved the same level of collective well-being and purchasing power. No other region, from America to Asia, has achieved the same level of life expectancy, social protection, and respect for the rule of law. No other continent has achieved the same level of freedom of expression, freedom of information, freedom of research and respect for science.
The European Union is a unique project of reconciliation, peace and prosperity. But the European story is not yet complete. It is an ‘unfinished adventure’.
And this is where I want to speak directly to you. You will learn far more here than European integration or security studies. Natolin teaches you to think beyond disciplinary boundaries because Europe itself cannot be understood through a single discipline.
Security is connected to economics.
Prosperity is connected to innovation.
Democracy is connected to the rule of law.
Climate is connected to geopolitics.
And enlargement is connected to peace.
These connections are at the heart of Europe’s future and all of you will help shape the Europe of tomorrow. And wherever you go, you will carry something from Natolin with you: the experience of a community built on life-long friendship, diversity and mutual respect. Championing shared European values. Remembering Jacques Delors’s words about hope. That hope is now in your hands.
And as Bronislaw Geremek, a Solidarność leader, a former member of the European Parliament, and long-serving professor here in Natolin, once said: “Great political projects must be accompanied by dreams that awaken the will to act”.
So let us continue building, with courage and conviction, a Europe that is strong, united, democratic, secure and free.
Thank you.