Von der Leyen: Ukraine is progressing because Europe is in its heart, just like North Macedonia and Albania
Much of Ukraine's progress in EU reforms has been achieved because the people have Europe in their hearts and minds. The same applies to our friends in Albania, in North Macedonia and throughout the Western Balkans. It also applies to Moldova and Georgia, which have also asked to join our Union. The wind of change is blowing across our continent, said, among other things, the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Layen in her speech at the tenth "Athens democracy forum".
She spoke in detail about democracy and democratic values, noting that with the Russian attack on Ukraine, "the war of autocracy against democracy" is being waged, but she also expressed a deep conviction that "democracy will prevail".
He said that all democracies are "a work in progress, including the interior of the EU, built on the promise of unity in diversity" and added that this promise has not yet been fully achieved.
Von der Leyen spoke of four priorities that require focus: new threats, multiple crises, attempts at new frontiers and future generations.
Regarding the new threats, he said that "warships and soldiers are no longer the only weapons in the hands of foreign autocrats", but also disinformation, as well as cyber attacks, which "are also part of their war against democracy".
Regarding the multiple crises, he recalled the pandemic, the health crisis and the successful procurement of vaccines, referred to the reaction of the Union "with the speed of light to the Russian attack against Ukraine, with the largest package of sanctions in history" and said that "democracies can achieve a result if we act united".
-Putin's attack against Ukraine is an attempt to change the course of history and stop the long path of democracy, the president of the EC emphasized, explaining the third priority and added that it is not only about Russia's war against Ukraine, but also about a series of others democracies in the world.
As the fourth priority, he pointed out that "we should never forget that our democracies belong to future generations".
