Thank you very much President Metsola Dear Roberta, Prime Minister Carney Dear Mark, honorable Members.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

This is how Charles Dickens describes Europe in the days of the French Revolution.

It is also a fair description of the world we live in. The speed of change is incredible. The challenges exceptional.

If I look at Europe today,

I would say the state of our Union is the strongest it has ever been.

The state of our Union can also feel as precarious as it has ever been.

These two statements may seem incompatible, but they are both true. They reflect these exceptional times.

This complex age of, on the one hand, great possibilities and,

on the other hand, great perils which all countries are seeking to navigate.

In this world, Europe has chosen to forge its own path.

This is the work we've done over the last years.

A stronger, more independent Europe is now emerging.

That is a Europe that is securing its prosperity, one that is breaking free from the toxic dependency on Russian fossil fuels,

that is a Europe that has become the greatest trading power on the planet,

that is transforming its industrial policy while upholding its social model.

That is a Europe better able to defend itself than ever before,

one that has radically overhauled its approach to securing our homelands.

That has increased defense spending by almost 80% in the last five years alone.

This is a Europe that stands up for each other.

As we are doing by standing with Ukraine, as it fights for its future and for our freedom,

or when we stood up for Greenland when it was threatened,

or when drones, hybrid attacks or disinformation targeted our democracies. All of this proves one thing.

Europe is there for Europeans, and that in the cold fragility of today's world,

only Europe can provide true sovereignty for Europeans and therefore, honorable Members,

this is a Europe we can be so proud of.

At the same time, as we all know the threats that we are facing,

as old assumptions and relationships have frayed,

we are now dealing with an openly hostile world.

A territorial war of aggression is raging on our continent. Others have erupted nearby.

A fight for industrial capacities is shaping global competition.

A battle of narratives is seeking to weaken confidence in Europe and to paralyze our democracies.

People's worries are not only linked to these big global threats.

The effect of the many crises present for many European families, not least on the cost of living and housing.

The dizzying speed of change and technology that is impacting our jobs, our livelihoods and our societies.

It is also having a profound effect on our democracy and our discourse.

We see this in the rise of the extreme. The decline of nuance.

Even in the way that we relate to each other.

These real concerns are being weaponized to drive a wedge between us. Sometimes from the outside. But too often from the inside. Our path is clear.

Building an independent Europe that has the power to act, nothing can divert us from this.

Because in this world, the fate of Europe must remain in the hands of Europeans, so our choice is clear.

Do we want a strong and independent Europe that stands up for its values in this world?

Or do we let divisions and dependencies hold us back?

Do we want to rally around our European idea that together we can decide our own destiny?

Or do we let our democracies be undermined by the proxies and puppets of authoritarians?

Whether it is the ultra nationalists or the anti European, whether it is Russian interference or disinformation,

the names may be different, but their goal is the same.

They despise our values and they want to shatter our European unity,

so let's not only fight back against that,

but let us fight together for our European ideas.