European Commission - Quo vadis Europa at 27? Avenues for a united future at 27 - Speech by President Juncker at the Plenary Session of the European Parliament on the occasion of the presentation of the European Commission's White Paper on the Future of Europe
Mister President, Honourable Members of this House, Ladies and Gentlemen, - Later this month, in Rome, 27 of our Member States will stand shoulder to shoulder in peace, solidarity and friendship to mark the 60thAnniversary of the Treaties of Rome, and I would like to see the President of the Parliament being associated to these ceremonies.
However, this will not simply be a birthday celebration. It will also be the 'birth moment' of the European Union at 27.
And as we turn the page and commence a new chapter in our history, it is time we sought new answers to a question as old as our Union is young: quo vadis Europa – at 27?
Europe's founding fathers were visionaries – Spinelli and Rossi, imprisoned by a fascist regime, dared to dream of a place where allies and adversaries would unite. Unable to speak freely, they penned a manifesto For a free and United Europe which had to be circulated secretly in Rome among the Italian resistance movement in 1943.
Writing this manifesto – this new chapter – Spinelli and Rossi decided not to cling to the darkness surrounding them in their Ventotene prisons cells. They stretched out their arms to the light instead. They dreamed of a better future and paved the way towards it.
60 years later, this should be an inspiration for us. With nothing to dim our voices, will we be forgiven for not speaking up? In 60 years' time, what will our grandchildren say of our legacy? I want them to be proud – as Spinelli and Rossi probably would have been today.
Now is our time to be pioneers and carve out a vision so that we may walk hand in hand, united at 27, towards our future.
Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear colleagues,
Every day the world around us is changing. The changes and transformations are rapid. Globalisation, terrorism, migration and the impact of new technologies on society and jobs are profoundly changing the daily lives of Europeans. Circumstances, conditions and connections are not changing annually, monthly or weekly. They are changing daily – so vastly and so fast that they sometimes leave us breathless.
The challenges and hurdles before us are great. They are big and tall but by no means insurmountable.
Either we can let ourselves be swept along by these trends, or we can embrace them, shape them and seize the new opportunities they will bring.
Europe must not grow tired but must be active – and sometimes proactive.
As my good friend Frank-Walter Steinmeier was saying so eloquently – if courage is asked of others, leaders must first show it themselves.
The future of Europe cannot be held hostage by electoral cycles, party politics or short-term wins.
Brexit – however regrettable and painful it may be – will not be able to stop the EU on its march towards its future. We continue. We must go on.
Quo vadis Europe at 27? There is no better time, there is also no other time, than now to have this admittedly difficult debate.
In any discussion about where we go from here, we must have one crucial task at the centre of our actions.
Let us be honest: For too long there has been a gap between what people expect and what Europe is able to deliver.
We have to be able to show what Europe can and cannot do.
Take for example the fight against youth unemployment. We hold summit after summit promising to bring down the unemployment numbers – particularly youth unemployment – despite this being far from the realm of Europe's capability. Tools at EU level cannot do miracles if national action is not enough. We can fund traineeships, we can stimulate investment – quite successfully in fact – but this does not automatically andper se lead to a systematic decline in unemployment. The EU budget only covers 0.3 percent of European social services. 0.3 percent! Member States cover the other 99.7 percent. To say that Europe is responsible for combating unemployment is simply wrong.
So we should not pretend that Europe alone can solve the problem. It is time we – and Member States – were honest about this.
We should not make people believe that we can deliver the sun and the moon if we are only able to deliver a telescope. We should stop communicating on intentions and start focusing on where we can deliver the most tangible results instead.
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