Today we honor Europe Day as a vision that has become an institutional reality. We honor the declaration of May 9, 1950, by Robert Schuman, for the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community. And above all, we honor the fundamental goal of this historic declaration: to make war “not only inconceivable but also materially impossible.”
Today’s Europe was born from the ruins of two world wars and from the need to ensure that the continent would never again experience violence, division and destruction. Through the creation of a series of supranational European institutions, mistrust was gradually transformed into cooperation, rivalry into a common vision and historical memory into a cornerstone of peace.
The European idea, however, is not merely a product of postwar necessity. It is deeply rooted in the history and culture of our continent. In the ancient Greek thought, which highlighted the value of speech, democracy, the city-state, dialogue and measure. In the ideals of the Enlightenment, which laid the foundation for the modern understanding of freedom, rights, justice and human dignity. And in the spiritual and moral legacy of the Christian faith and tradition, which decisively shaped the European identity.
Greece found itself early on the path to European integration. Already in 1959, it submitted the application for association with the European Economic Community. Under the leadership of Konstantinos Karamanlis, post-dictatorship Greece linked its international standing, political stability and growth prospects to Europe. From its full accession in 1981 to its participation in the Eurozone, Greece has traveled a long and demanding path within the core of the union.
The European Union remains the most important undertaking of peaceful cooperation and progress of peoples in modern history. Today, geopolitical tensions, energy security, the climate crisis, the digital transition, inequalities, demographics and migration are emerging as new challenges. Let us, therefore, work toward a stronger, fairer and more cohesive Europe. A Europe of the future, worthy of the values upon which it was founded.
