“Check against delivery”

President Metsola,

Honourable Members,

Europe is in a fight.

A fight for a continent that is whole and at peace.

For a free and independent Europe.

A fight for our values and our democracies.

A fight for our liberty and our ability to determine our destiny for ourselves.

Make no mistake – this is a fight for our future.

I thought long and hard about whether to start this State of the Union address with such a stark appraisal.

After all, we Europeans are not used to – or comfortable with – talking in such terms.

Because our Union is fundamentally a peace project.

But the truth is that the world of today is unforgiving.

And we cannot varnish over the difficulties that Europeans feel every day.

They can feel the ground shift beneath them.

They can feel things getting harder just as they are working harder.

They can feel the impact of the global crisis.

Of the higher cost of living.

They feel the speed of change affecting their lives and careers.

And they worry about the endless spiral of events they see on the news – from the devastating scenes in Gaza to the relentless Russian barrage on Ukraine.

We simply cannot wait for this storm to pass.

This summer showed us that there is simply no room or time for nostalgia.

Battlelines for a new world order based on power are being drawn right now.

So, yes, Europe must fight.

For its place in a world in which many major powers are either ambivalent or openly hostile to Europe.

A world of imperial ambitions and imperial wars.

A world in which dependencies are ruthlessly weaponised.

And it is for all of these reasons that a new Europe must emerge.

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