The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has declared that the Western Balkans are increasingly closer to the European Union. In her speech at the official session of the European Parliament on the 20th anniversary of the EU enlargement, she emphasized that the desire to unite Europe and to complete the Union is more important than ever before.

“On May 1, 2004, my predecessor, President Prodi, uttered prophetic words. He said: ‘Today’s enlargement is the fifth and the largest in the history of the Union, and it will not be the last.’ You were very right. Since then, three more countries have joined our Union. And today, the desire to unite Europe and to complete our Union is more important than ever before. The Western Balkans are getting closer to us more and more. We made the historic decision to start negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, while the people of Georgia do not hide their European dreams,” said the President of the EC.

In her speech, Ursula von der Leyen also focused on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The President of the EC called for securing Kiev with means to defend itself in order to face Putin’s war.

“Because what happens in Ukraine will shape the future of our Union forever. We cannot ignore and cannot overestimate that Russia poses an existential threat not only to Ukraine but also to Europe. My friends, there is only one way to deal with this. There is only one language that Putin understands. And that is: securing Ukraine with means to defend itself,” she said.

/k.s/