My dear friend Edi,
Thank you very much for bringing us together here. The changes we are experiencing are undoubtedly historic. When the Wall fell in 1989, we assumed that economic and political freedom would converge and unite people. Today, history and geopolitics are back. What we perceived as world order is turning into disorder, fueled by Putins ambitions. The necessity for Europe to wake up has become evident.
Today, Europe is awake and we know we must move forward: we need to close the innovation gap, boost our competitiveness, and build resilience. Europe has provided big answers to big crises.
In recent years - the pandemic, the climate crisis, the energy crisis, Russias war against Ukraine - have challenged us, but Europe has emerged stronger. We are united in our support for Ukraine. The European Political Community was created to support Ukraine against Russian aggression and to preserve peace.
The fact that we are here today, together with you, Volodymyr, is proof of our unity. For three years, we have shown our unity and cooperation to defend Ukraine, find a path to peace, and provide strong security guarantees.
Many EPC members supported tough sanctions against Russia. These sanctions are effective: Russias oil and gas revenues have fallen by nearly 80%; the deficit is rising; interest rates are high; inflation is above 10%. We are ready to do more to bring Putin to the negotiating table.
Volodymyr described the recent situation. We want peace and are working on a new sanctions package. This includes sanctions on Nord Stream 1 and 2, further shadow fleet listings, a lower oil price cap, and more sanctions on the Russian financial sector.
We are also here in Tirana to build our common future, a Europe of shared prosperity. If we succeed, this will bring stability and peace to our continent.
Connectivity must be high on our agenda. We are creating opportunities through our Ukraine Facility and our Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and Moldova. We will soon develop a strategy for the Black Sea and a Connectivity Agenda. This is a great vision: investing in cross-border infrastructures and digital links within the European Political Community.
Our partnership network is growing rapidly. This makes the EPC more than an idea or forum. It is the expression of our ability to tackle challenges together. Long live Europe.