Opening remarks by President von der Leyen at the NEAR Days, via video message

Dear Gert-Jan,
dear colleagues,

I am really glad that this year, you decided to bring together the whole DG NEAR family, including colleagues in headquarters and in our 23 Delegations across the region. Because today, more than ever before, DG NEAR stands at the heart of the European Commission, and of the European Union.

It's been almost five years since I wrote in the Political Guidelines that I wanted to re-energise and reaffirm the enlargement process. But five years ago, nobody could imagine what history had in store for us.

First, it was the pandemic. With the urgent need to support our neighbours, and to show them the meaning of European solidarity. And then came Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It was a watershed moment for Europe. Not only because Putin brought war back to our continent.

But because the war has made all Europeans realise how urgent it is to complete our Union. Only if we unite all Europeans under the EU flag, will there be peace and prosperity for our continent. History is calling on us. And DG NEAR has responded.

I know how intense the last years have been for all of you. You have worked day and night to bring our Union closer to our neighbours. You have taken care of the most basic needs of Ukrainians. You have dealt with the fallout of Russia's war all across our region, from North Africa to Nagorno-Karabakh. For example, with the energy package for the Western Balkans.

And you have supported candidate countries in their EU aspirations. The results of your work are for everyone to see. We have launched accession talks first with Albania and North Macedonia, then with Ukraine and Moldova. And we will do the same with Bosnia and Herzegovinat. Georgia has become a candidate country.

And we have just agreed on the first-ever upward revision of our Union's budget, with a first-of-its-kind 50-billion Facility for Ukraine, the Western Balkans Growth Plan, and greater support for all our neighbours. None of this seemed possible or even imaginable just five years ago. But you made it happen. With your dedication and professionalism. You have written a new page in the history of our Union.

The final months of the mandate will continue to be challenging. And now I am thinking about not only our Eastern neighbours, but also the Middle East and North Africa. The shockwaves of the war in Gaza will continue to be felt across the region and the world. Our first duty continues to be to address the humanitarian needs of Palestinians, and to work on a political perspective for the day after, towards a two-State solution that delivers peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

But in parallel, we must also keep up the good work of these years to strengthen our cooperation across the region. For instance, we have created new comprehensive partnerships with Tunisia and Egypt, and we are working on other similar partnerships in the region. We belong to one common region. Our prosperity is linked to the prosperity of our neighbours.To their jobs, their growth, their clean and digital transitions. Our future and our neighbours' future are one and the same.

Dear colleagues, It's been almost ten years since the birth of DG NEAR. But today your work is more important and more valued than ever. You are in the engine room of our Union. You are at the centre of Europe's future. And I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, and wish you a very successful gathering here in Brussels. So, welcome to the NEAR Days. And long live Europe.

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