Keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the new academic year 2024-2025, Jacques Delors promotion, at the College of Europe

President Van Rompuy,

Rector Mogherini, dear Federica,

Mayor De Fauw,

Dear faculty and staff of the College of Europe,

And most importantly, dear students of the Jacques Delors promotion and the European Diplomatic Academy,?

It is a great pleasure to be here with you for the opening of the 75th Academic Year of the College of Europe. You are coming from all across our continent and beyond. Each one of you with a different story and background. And with a different path that has led you here. But I am sure that all of you have something in common. You care deeply about Europe, and you have chosen to get involved in shaping its future.

If this is why you are here, you have made the right decision. The College of Europe is not only the oldest post-grad institute of European studies. It is also the place where students do not only learn about European integration but live it. Just go through the impressive list of alumni. You will find Heads of State and Prime Ministers, Commissioners and Ministers. But you will also find several members of my staff. The College has raised generations of changemakers. It begins with the post-war generation, which brought together countries, divided by centuries of war. Then the post-Cold War generation, which brought together the two halves of our continent. And today's generation of leaders is trying to complete this process, to finally bring all of Europe together. That is the uniqueness of Europe. Each generation has to make it grow, deepen and widen, and pass it on to the next. And the next generation is you. You will have the responsibility to move our Union forward once again. Whether you will come to Brussels or go back to your native country. Whether you will join the institutions or go to the private sector. Whether you will be involved in politics, or in civil society. You will be called to lead Europe, and to serve the people of Europe. Everything you will learn this year will help you get ready for this: leadership and public service. I would like you to keep this in mind, whenever you face a tough exam or a long day in the library. You are not only studying the Europe of yesterday and today. You are preparing to build the Europe of tomorrow.

But what does it mean to lead and to serve Europe? Every year, the College chooses a patron. This year, the choice of Jacques Delors is more than a commemoration. It is a compass. When Delors took office, the world was changing at incredible speed. It was the world of Reaganomics and the final years of the Cold War. Europe was stuck in the so-called euro-sclerosis. When Delors left office ten years later, Europe was not just keeping up with a changing world. Europe was making history. With a new political Union. A new Single Market. And with membership rising from 9 to 15, and beyond.

Since I took office at the European Commission, I have often been inspired by the life and legacy of Jacques Delors. And this continues to be the case at the start of my second mandate. So today I would like to focus on three lessons from Jacques Delors about leadership in Europe. Lessons for my generation, and for yours.

Here is the first lesson: what yesterday seemed impossible can become reality tomorrow. Delors was a true leader because he understood before others, when the times were ready for change. That was the case in 1989. Already one month before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Delors said it was time to “move beyond Yalta” and “overcome the divisions of the old continent.” Some thought he was daydreaming. But in reality, he was one step ahead of everybody else. Delors oversaw two enlargements of our Union. And he prepared the ground for the great reunification of 2004, when ten countries joined our Union. He truly made the impossible come true.

Today, Europe stands at another turning point, just like in 1989. History is on the move again. There is a new momentum across Europe to unify our continent. Just last weekend, dear Federica, we saw the enthusiasm of the young people of the Western Balkans who cannot wait to join our Union. And further to the East, the wind of change is blowing again. The people of Ukraine are fighting not only for survival, but for Europe. This is what keeps them going, after 1,000 days of Russia's full-scale war: They want their children to live free from fear, and to grow up in a united and peaceful Europe. And no one should stand in the way of their aspirations. There is not a single reason why Putin should have a say in the future of young Ukrainians or Moldovans or Georgians. For so many years now, the people of Georgia have been striving and fighting for democracy. They have a right to know what happened this weekend. They have a right to see that electoral irregularities are investigated swiftly, transparently and independently. Georgians, like all Europeans, must be masters of their own destiny.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

‘Completing the Union' has returned to the top of our political agenda during my first mandate. And it will be even more central now, in my second mandate. It is in this spirit that last weekend we inaugurated together the new campus in Tirana. And today I can also announce a new initiative here in Bruges. The College of Europe and the Commission will launch a new programme for young diplomats from future Member States, based on the model of the European Diplomatic Academy. One day, not so far away, we will all be part of one Union, with one common foreign policy. So we should start training today a new generation of diplomats for the Union of tomorrow.

I know that some are sceptical, because of the uncertainties that are linked to Russia's continued aggression against Ukraine, and the costs of enlargement. But the cost of an incomplete Union is way higher. The cost of fragmentation and less prosperity. The cost of war and instability at our borders. The cost of interference within our borders. And it would send a message to autocrats across the world, that brute force can break the free will of free people. We simply cannot let this happen. At the same time, think about the impressive progress that a country like Ukraine has achieved in recent years. They have passed an incredible set of reforms, reached candidate status, and started negotiations. All of this, while fighting a war for their survival. There is a well-known definition of politics as ‘the art of the possible'. Well, this is not enough. Sometimes, when history calls, politics must be the art of making even the impossible come true. We must dare to aim high.

The second lesson from Delors that I would like to address is this: Europe is a constant work in progress. Just a few years after history had been written in Maastricht, Delors was already thinking about the next step. And before he left the Presidency, he laid out his vision on how the Maastricht Treaty could be rolled out and pushed further. For European integration, there is no such thing as ‘mission accomplished'. Our Union is never perfect. But it is perfectible. And Europe needs to be present when it is most required.

That is exactly what Europe did when we set up NextGenerationEU to address the consequences of a devastating pandemic. And when Russia tried to blackmail us with our overdependency on cheap and dirty fossil fuels. We joined forces and broke free. We bought energy together, using our critical mass of 27 Member States to have more market power. And we invested massively in renewables, that is clean, home-grown energy and good jobs for Europe. As a result, in the first half of this year, more than 50% of our electricity has come from renewables. But our job is far from over. And 30 years into the Single Market, our Economic Union is still far from complete. Our competitors have continent-sized economies, with continent-sized markets and state budgets. A start-up from California can expand and raise money all across the US. But our companies still face way too many national barriers that make it hard to work Europe-wide, and way too much regulatory burden. While EUR 300 billion of European households' savings are invested in foreign markets every year, we still have fragmented capital markets. And this is why we want to build a European Savings and Investments Union, a deep and liquid Capital Markets Union, a decarbonised and circular economy and one Single Market. Simpler, faster and more sustainable. This will be one of our main missions for the five years ahead. The path that started 70 years ago must continue. Towards a more prosperous and fair Europe.

And this leads me to a third and final lesson of Jacques Delors. He was the architect of the Single Market and the euro. But he always thought that economic integration was not enough. In his own words: “Europe needs a soul”. He meant that our Union had to reach out for the hearts and minds of Europeans. Delors believed in the power of symbols. He was the first President to celebrate Europe day, and to raise our blue flag with golden stars outside the Berlaymont. Delors wanted all Europeans to feel pride for our values of peace and democracy. To feel a sense of belonging to a community of destiny. But beyond symbols, he believed that Europe needed a social anchor. The freedom of the markets had to come with protection of workers across Europe. This is still true today. The people of Europe expect that our Union will stand at their side in times of need. And this is exactly what we did, time and again in recent years. When we made sure that all Europeans could have access to life-saving vaccines. When we saved their jobs in pandemic times, with SURE. And when we act together against the impacts of climate change, from forest fires to floods. This is European solidarity at its best.

Yes, the people of Europe want our Union to stand up for them on the global stage. But they also want our Union to stand close to them, to protect them, as a partner and an ally in their daily battles. We must have the courage to step out of our comfort zone, and if necessary, to step into new fields of action. This is why, for the first time ever, I have put housing on the European agenda. Young people like you are struggling to find affordable homes. And this is just not right. I want Europe to look into this, and to help unlock the private and public investment we need. If it matters to you, it must matter to Europe. Or think about the crucial issue of mental health, that I know is especially dear to young people. Of course, family and friends and the medical system are the first line of help. But there is so much that Europe can do. For instance, by addressing the addictive design of some social media platforms, and the plague of cyber-bullying. Some might say that health or housing are not European issues.

Some might say we should not get involved. But I want our Union to step up wherever it can make a difference, and where it matters the most to people. You can do business anywhere in the world. But where do people want to settle and raise their children? Where they are safe. Where they have prospects. Where everyone has access to good education and culture – regardless of how much money they have. Where everyone has access to healthcare. Where there is lasting peace. Where they can move freely, study, work, across borders that no longer exist. Where they can build something that stays theirs. Where the rule of law wins and not the right of might. That is what our European Union stands for. Because Europe is more than a Union. It is our home.

And to me, this is the greatest lesson of Jacques Delors. The fundamental feature of leadership is not to rise above others. But to be at the service of others. Leadership and public service are two sides of the same coin. And so, I go back to where I started. You are the next generation of European leaders. Europe will need all of your talent and your passion. But how you will contribute to the European project is entirely up to you. Here in Bruges, you will get the tools you need. You will get a great understanding of how our Union works. But always keep in mind who it works for, and why it exists. Because Europe only works if it works for the people of Europe. So at the end of this year, take a moment to think about the way ahead. Think about all the different ways to do something for Europe. And find the one that makes you happy. Where you can put your talents to good use. Do not look for the fastest way to reach the top. Think about how best you can serve Europe and its people. This is what leadership means. This is how you will lead our Union forward.

So best of luck to all of you.

And long live Europe.