Speech by President von der Leyen at the inauguration ceremony for the College of Europe campus in Tirana

"Check against delivery"

Prime Minister Rama, dear Edi,

Rector Mogherini, dear Federica,

Dear students,

Today marks a new beginning for all of you. New friends, new city, new dreams. But this ceremony is also much more than the opening of a new academic year or a new campus. Because the College of Europe is much more than an ordinary university.

When our continent still lay in ruins after World War II, a group of European pioneers came up with a visionary idea: Let us build an academy, to raise the leaders of tomorrow, that will unite Europe – a new generation, for a new beginning. That was one of the first building blocks of European integration. Before coal and steel, it all started with a college. And then forty years later, when the Iron Curtain finally collapsed, it was the patron of your promotion, the great Jacques Delors, who took the next step. He cut the ribbon of the Natolin campus in Poland, to raise a new generation of leaders in Central and Eastern Europe. But as they say, good things always come in threes. After Bruges and Natolin, here we are in Tirana. Once again, we are at a watershed moment for Europe. And once again, our family is preparing for a reunification. It could bring together all the people living between the Adriatic and the Black Sea. Just last week, for instance, Albania's accession negotiations to join our Union have entered a new phase. Together, we opened the cluster on fundamentals.

It is at this decisive time that the beautiful city of Tirana welcomes the College of Europe. This is the vanguard of European integration. And you, dear students, are the pioneers of the Europe of tomorrow. This year will be like a window into the future, when the Western Balkans will finally be full members of our Union. Just like after 1989, European history is on the move. But there is something new about the times we live in. Back then, it felt like the unification of our continent was inevitable. One of the unstoppable forces of history. My generation called it the wind of change. And you cannot stop the wind from blowing.

Today, the wind of change is blowing again, here in the Western Balkans, as well as in Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia and across our continent. But there are also other winds that blow in the opposite direction, towards division, nationalism and suppression. Russia has invaded Ukraine precisely for Ukraine's desire to join our Union. And just last weekend in Moldova, we have seen the massive interference in the referendum on the country's European future. These forces are constantly at work to destabilise the countries who make the choice of Europe. Whenever there is progress towards reconciliation and regional integration in the Western Balkans, they stir up old conflicts. This is today's reality. This is what your generation of young Europeans is up against.

So how should Europe respond to this new reality? I believe that we must be more proactive than ever before. ‘Sit and wait' is simply not an option. This is the fundamental truth that must drive our actions today: We either fall back or move forward. And I know that your generation, here in the Western Balkans, wants to move forward. Most of you were born after the wars of the 1990s. You are more connected to the rest of Europe than any generation before. You believe in Europe. So, you deserve to know that Europe also believes in you. We believe that you will be citizens of our Union, and that you will bring new energy and enthusiasm into our family.

This region is home to so much talent and ingenuity. If you want proof of that, you only have to look at the incredible city that hosts us today. Tirana is teeming with life, and it is no surprise that it attracts bright minds like you. It is young and diverse. It is well connected, with the fastest-growing airport in Europe. It is a paradise for artists and innovators. And I hear that the nightlife is also quite amazing. Just do not stay up too late if you have classes in the morning. The Western Balkans can contribute so much to our Union's future. And our Union can contribute so much to this region's future, too. So let us make it happen. It is time to move forward at maximum speed.

This has been my goal ever since I took office five years ago. Our Union is no longer only the destination of your travel, but we are also your travel companion. This is the logic of our Western Balkans Growth Plan. Every reform that Western Balkan partners approve will unlock new investments. It has been just over one year since we announced the Growth Plan, and the results are already showing. The Western Balkans are joining now our Single Euro Payments Area, to cut the cost of sending money; our network of digital start-up hubs; our Critical Medicines Alliance; our transport corridors like the Blue Lane to Italy; and much more.

Why does it matter? This will not only speed up the regions' economic growth. It also means that the people of the Western Balkans will start to experience our Union in their life. Your European future begins today. And this brings me back to the reason why we are all here. In this new campus, you will not only learn about Europe. You will live it. I know that you come from both the Western Balkans and the rest of the continent. And you are now studying together to be the future leaders of our Union. This year will be special, not only for the things you will learn about the European institutions, but also for the things you will learn about each other. You will make friendships that will last forever. And you will build a network that will shape your personal and professional life.

This experience will change all of you. But it can also change the future of our Union. Because this is how Europe has always been built. One of the founders of the College, Denis de Rougemont, once wrote: “Can Europe only be a market? Or an alliance? Europe has to be the community of all Europeans, their countries, their problems, their memories and their aspirations, shaped by centuries of common history and millennia of mixed cultures. The real Europe is made of living people and their hopes.” The history of Europe is not only written in the great halls of Summits and Treaties. But also in the classrooms, where a new generation of Europeans is born. And the next chapter is for you to write.

Let me wish you all an amazing year at the College of Europe in Tirana. And long live Europe.