The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Mrs. Atifete Jahjaga today attended the official ceremony to mark Europe Day, organized by the Ministry of European Integration, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.<\/p>\n
Below we give the speech that President Jahjaga held on this occasion:<\/p>\n
Honoured citizens of the Republic of Kosovo,<\/p>\n
Honoured representatives of the Institutions of Kosovo,<\/p>\n
Honoured accredited ambassadors in Kosovo,<\/p>\n
Honoured participants,<\/p>\n
Today on Europe Day, we must remember two great men, who in the ruins of
\nWorld War II and in the general disappointment after it, were very
\nvisionary, giving the idea of a new Europe, the idea of solidarity and
\nmutual assistance, the idea of joining resources of coal and steel, as
\nthe basis for development and progress, not only economic but versatile,
\na joint world without borders, an ideal of free men. These were Jean
\nMonnet and Robert Schuman, who on 9 May 1950 set the foundations of what
\nwe know today as the European Union which counts 27 states, and with
\nthe integration of Kosovo and Western Balkans this process will be
\nrounded up to over thirty countries.<\/p>\n
The idea was creative, the plan ambitious and the approach pragmatic.<\/p>\n
\u00a0It was only the first step in realizing the vision of a united continent, as a precondition for peace and prosperity.<\/p>\n
This plan went beyond reconciliation and leaving behind the conflicts
\nand wars – to become a platform of cooperation and economic development,
\ndemocratic consolidation, for the welfare of all citizens.<\/p>\n
“Europe will not be created immediately, even according to a single plan
\n– it will be built through concrete achievements which would create a
\nde facto solidarity”, had said Schuman … The European project rose
\nembracing this view, and then the legal system, and that of the human
\nvalues that were built by leaders and citizens of Europe.<\/p>\n
This integration of nations and states, would not happen so successful,
\nwere it not based on respect for the will, respect for diversity and
\ncompromise for the common good.<\/p>\n
Europe continues to be built on these principles, thus deepening and extending them.<\/p>\n
The policies of the European Union enlargement proved the success of the
\n“soft power” by helping the political and socio-economic transition of
\ncountries of Central and Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n
The implementation of the Lisbon Treaty and the spirit of the
\nconsolidation which was achieved after the historic enlargement of the
\nyears 2004-2007 are ongoing challenges of the transforming of the
\nEuropean Union.<\/p>\n
The role of the EU in the democratization of the Western Balkan
\ncountries is undeniable. The perspective of the membership, along with
\nthe numerous instruments of the policy of expansion, have helped
\nreforming these countries according to the model of the member countries
\nof the EU.<\/p>\n
For the Republic of the Kosovo, at the Thessaloniki Summit in 2003, the
\nEU perspective was opened, as well as for all Western Balkan countries.
\nThis enabled that the state-building to become according to the model of
\nthe Member States of the EU, so that all the legal infrastructure, all
\npolicies in Kosovo, and the work of\u00a0 all the institutions to evolve in
\naccordance with the Acquis Communautaire.<\/p>\n
All the countries which have passed through the membership process and
\nwho today are equal members of the EU know how challenging this way was.
\nAnd this challenge is even bigger for us, because of the fact that the
\nindependence of the Republic of Kosovo is not recognized by 5 EU
\ncountries, the European Union can not speak unanimously towards this
\nprocess.<\/p>\n
There are many joint successes of Kosovo and the European Union, and
\nwhat we want, what all the citizens of Kosovo want, is that these
\nirreversible achievements are part of the integration process to
\neliminate every possibility of isolation, of stagnation or even
\nsuspicion in achieving the ultimate goal of membership of the Republic
\nof Kosovo into the EU.<\/p>\n
Our work and efforts will be proportionate to the challenges and
\nopportunities which are offered by the visionary project of the European
\nUnion, because our people in time, through the Renaissance dam have
\ndeclared that for us, the sun rises in the west.<\/p>\n
All citizens of Kosovo believe in this ideal, believe in the
\nEuro-Atlantic road, believe in Europe and the eternal friendship with
\nthe United States of America.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Congratulations 9 May, Europe Day, and thank you for being with us.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Mrs. Atifete Jahjaga today attended the official ceremony to mark Europe Day, organized by the Ministry of European Integration, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":60949,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[105],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-speeches"],"yoast_head":"\n