It is now more than ever important and necessary that Europe responds cohesively and decisively to the challenges it is facing.
I believe we should remember the words of a great European, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, spoken in this room more than ten years ago: “If we act alone we will be at the mercy of events bigger than us, events that threaten peace and European security.” I am confident that the foundations on which the EU project is built are strong enough to achieve the objectives that have been entrusted to us by the people of Europe.