It is a privilege to be given the opportunity to address Europe’s youth –and by definition– Europe’s future, at this very prestigious institution. Maastricht University has grown into an international centre of academic excellence, distinguished by its European outlook and its commitment to innovative approaches to education and research. At the same time, Maastricht is not simply a place where European history was written. It is part of the European project itself. It was here, in 1992, that the Treaty on European Union was signed by the then twelve Member States. The Treaty was a turning point in the evolution of European Integration. It transformed the European Community from a primarily Economic Project into a broader Political Union. It formally established the European Union and laid the foundations for the Economic and Monetary Union, and, ultimately, our common currency. It also strengthened the European Parliament’s role, established the principle of subsidiarity, and provided the foundations for what would become the Common Foreign and Security Policy. In other words, the Maastricht Treaty represented more than an institutional change. It was a statement of Ambition. A statement of Hope. It reflected the belief that European countries, having experienced the consequences of division and war, could build a better future through cooperation and integration. And this is perhaps the most important lesson that Maastricht continues to offer us. The European Union was never a finished project. It has always been a project in evolution. From Maastricht, where a new chapter in European integration was written, we have the opportunity to ask ourselves: What the next chapters should look like. It is our responsibility – and yours – to decide what Europe can become next. My answer is a more United, Stronger and Strategically Autonomous Union. 🇨🇾🇪🇺