Speech by President von der Leyen on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Cyprus' accession to the European Union

President Christodoulides, dear Nikos,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear students,

It is a very moving moment for me to be here with you in Cyprus on this very special day. As you all know, this is one of the places where our European culture was born. And this is also the place where, 20 years ago, Europe was born anew. The 1st of May 2004 marked not only the birth of a larger Union, it marked the birth of a new era both for Cyprus and Europe. Many of the students here in this room were not born at that time so you cannot remember that night of 20 years ago in 2004, when almost 75 million Europeans joined our Union. But your generation experiences every day what it means to be part of the European Union. Membership of the European Union has transformed Cyprus  In these twenty years, Cyprus has for example built a modern public service. If I take for instance your national health system created with European support. And now two-thirds of all public hospitals in Cyprus are being expanded thanks to EU funds, with new clinical units for children, or for mental health support. And I would like to take the opportunity at this point to thank our Commissioner Stella Kyriakides for the excellent work that you are doing. Because of your outstanding work, all Member States are working now together to fill our Health Union with life. Many thanks Stella for this outstanding work. In these 20 years, Cyprus' natural heritage has been protected like never before. Your economy has grown by 4% every year. Your trade has increased six-fold. 8,000 young Cypriots have studied across Europe thanks to Erasmus. And 16,000 students from the rest of Europe came to Cyprus to study here – and I guess falling in love immediately with the country and its people. All these numbers mean something quite simple: European membership has opened a continent of possibilities for your generation of Cypriots. Europe has made you stronger.

But being in one Union has made all of us stronger. Just think of the amazing solidarity we have given each other in good times, but also in challenging times. Think of the pandemic and the vaccines we shared. Think of the economic support through NextGenerationEU and SURE. When our economies faced shutdown, we joined forces. And the solidarity made us all collectively stronger. But you have made Europe stronger, too. Cyprus' membership has also transformed our Union. Through the centuries, this island has always been a bridge between continents. But now, since you joined the Union, you have become one of our Union's gateways to the world, for energy, for trade, for shipping, but also, for instance, for humanitarian action. And here, I want to thank you Nikos, Mr President: Just two months ago, I was here with you, when Cyprus led the way to open a humanitarian maritime corridor towards northern Gaza. Cyprus has become a solidarity hub, not just for Europe but for the world. You are definitely making the most of your unique geography.

And by doing so, you have become a new centre of gravity for our Union. It is thanks to you, and the other countries that joined 20 years ago, that our Union has become a truly continental one. And this has made us ask ourselves: What is it, that makes us all European? What is it that makes us one family, actually spanning from the Atlantic and the Artic, to these warm Mediterranean shores? It is of course our shared roots, dating back to the great civilisations of our past. But most importantly, it is the values that we all share. We want to protect our nature from climate change because you, the young people, would never forgive us if we did not live up to the challenge now. We all share our belief in a strong democracy. Our idea that every one of us must enjoy the same rights and opportunities – independent of whom you love, young or old, of all colours, all cultures, all faiths or none. This is what makes us European. This is what makes us united, not only our history, but our shared direction of travel.

Of course, when 450 million people and 27 Member States work together not everything is perfect. But this should not distract us from what Europe is delivering. Just think of this: You can make money all over the world. But where do you want to settle and raise your children? Where the streets are safe because the rule of law reigns. Where you have perspectives. Where everyone has access to good education and culture regardless of their wallet. Where all people have access to health care. Where there is lasting peace among 27 countries. Where you can move freely, study, work across borders that do not exist anymore. Where you can build something that remains yours. Europe is more than a union; it is our home.

And speaking of home, on this occasion, on the 1 of May, my heartfelt wish is that we see this beautiful island reunited, especially for you, the young people, who are the future of Europe. I am so glad to spend this evening with you, with young people like you, because the future of our Union belongs to you. You will set the course of our continent for the next 20 years, and beyond of course. Europe will be what you want it to be. So thank you very much for inviting me tonight. I look forward to hearing from you, how you see Europe.

Long live Cyprus, and long live Europe.

Thank you so much.