The May 9, 2022 holiday was marked by war, a tragedy that the founding fathers of the Union hoped to have consigned to twentieth-century history.
Instead, it happens again. When Ukraine was invaded by the Russian army on February 24, we were all faced with radical choices. Brussels initiated a fast-track accession process to welcome Kyiv into the common space.
To symbolize the solidarity of European citizens with Ukraine under the bombs, on May 9 we wanted to embrace the Ukrainian embassy with more than 50 blue starry meters, made up of about 150 EU flags, that wrapped the building of the diplomatic residence in Via Guido D'Arezzo, Rome.
Because the aggression unleashed by Vladimir Putin has prompted us to support the Ukrainian resistance, reminding us of the founding reasons for our union: the rejection of wars of aggression and the struggle against totalitarian regimes. In the face of Kremlin imperialism, we Europeans manifest brotherhood and solidarity with the Ukrainian people, who want to achieve our union of freedom and peace as soon as possible.
Diplomats from many of the 27 countries of the Union, including Christian Masset, ambassador of France, president-in-office of the European Council, gathered at the Ukrainian embassy building, under our large starry flag, to show solidarity and support for Ukraine. Â
On the closing day of the Future of Europe Conference, we felt it was more crucial than ever to emphasize how the EU project, in the spirit of Jean Monnet, should not just coalesce states, but unite all men and women who share values of justice, solidarity and democracy.
