World peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which threaten it. The contribution which an organized and living Europe can bring to civilization is indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations. 

Dear partners, dear friends, Ladies and gentlemen,

These few words were pronounced exactly 75 years ago and they made history. There were the two first sentences of the Schuman Declaration, which was itself the starting point of the European integration process, which led to what is today the European Union. By pooling first the European production of coal and steel, which was the basis of economic prosperity back then, the six founding Member States affirmed their belief in a world where prosperity is shared, without tariffs or barriers, as a key contribution to peace in Europe and in the world. And also, as the Schuman declaration explicitly mentioned, the belief in a Europe committed to support the development of the African continent. 75 years later, the EU and its now 27 MS remain faithful to these commitments for peace, free and fair trade and sustainable development, especially for Africa. The EU is staying its course, with a renewed effort for competitiveness, strategic autonomy and strong partnerships around the globe.

Your presence for this 75th anniversary is especially important to us: we are grateful for the participation of so many high-level representatives of the 3 branches of the Federal Government, State Governments, as well as of the ECOWAS Commission, the Diplomatic and international community and all sectors of the vibrant Nigerian society.

The EU is not only its institutions, which I have the honour to represent with the support of my wonderful team of the EU Delegation, but first and foremost its 27 Member States, among which 19 have an Embassy here in Abuja. This is why I am particularly happy to have these 19 fellow Ambassadors on stage with me. Together we represent four hundred and fifty millions of people, citizens of their Member States and of the EU at the same time.

Nine other countries are officially candidates to the accession to the EU. They are part of the future of Europe and the promise of a stronger Europe. Among them, one is especially close to our hearts and minds in these times: Ukraine. Ukraine is a peaceful and democratic country of European men and women who woke up more than three years ago facing a full-scale invasion by their powerful neighbour, the Federation of Russia, with the clear objective to liquidate Ukraine as an independent State. The EU is unwavering in its support to Ukraine’s self-defence and European future. We believe a just and lasting peace can be reached, but only if it is based on the principles of the UN Charter, the international law and the respect of Ukraine’s sovereignty. And this is true also for other conflicts around the world, which all deserve the same kind of attention and respect for these principles. We very much coincide with the Nigerian diplomacy on this. 

Dear Nigerian friends, 

I know that Europeans and Nigerians share this dream of a better world, a rules-based world, more prosperous, more sustainable, more equal, reflecting the realities and needs of the 21st century. For this dream to come true, we need to work together and you, Nigerians, have a major role to play in Africa and in the world. 

Since my arrival last September, I see daily and concrete progress in our partnership, in particular through the roll-out of our EU Global Gateway strategy to offer more opportunities to the people and especially the women and the youth, or through the 300M€ of new projects that we are launching this year in the NW and NE of the country. I also see our common willingness to enhance our relations, in particular in trade and investment for which we are proud to be your number one partner. In this fast-changing world, the EU is for Nigeria a stable and reliable partner and so is Nigeria for us. 

This is the same kind of partnership we are also building with our sister organisation ECOWAS, which is celebrating 50 years of existence this year: we believe in ECOWAS’ successful future and we will be launching new significant cooperation projects together in the next few months. And finally, it is the same type of alliance we want with Africa as a whole: in a few days, our foreign ministers of the EU and the African Union will meet in Brussels to prepare the EU-AU summit to be held later this year and celebrate our 25 years of partnership, which is second to none in almost all areas.

One final word of appreciation on behalf of my wife Tatiana and myself to all of you for the wonderful welcome we have received from the Nigerian people and our colleagues of the international community, both in Abuja and in the nine States I have already had the chance to visit. You have made every day of these first eight months a real delight. Thank you very much for this.

To all of you, dear guests, my dear fellow European Ambassadors and EU citizens, happy Europe Day! And now, let’s share together the joy, this joy which inspired Beethoven when he composed what is now our EU anthem.

Long live the EU-Nigeria’s friendship!