Speech by President von der Leyen at the Peter Sutherland Leadership Award

Taoiseach Martin, dear Micheál,

Mr Hyland,

Members of the Sutherland family,

Distinguished guests,

It is such an honour to accept this award on behalf of the European Union. And of course, on behalf of the European citizens and on behalf of the European citizens of Ireland. You are about to celebrate indeed your 50th anniversary in the European Union next year. I want to say, from the bottom of my heart: congratulations, what an achievement.

I know the Irish people, you are proud Europeans. But let me tell you: Europe is even prouder that we can call you family. For the story of Ireland in the European Union inspires so much hope, especially at a time when war has sadly returned to our continent. The story of Ireland, you know it all, is a story of reconciliation, peace and progress. And perhaps no one embodies these qualities better than Peter Sutherland. Peter Sutherland was a man of faith, a man with a profound sense of civic responsibility. He became Ireland's youngest Attorney-General at the height of the Troubles. His belief in the rule of law and fairness was profound. As Ireland's European Commissioner, he never forgot what he had learnt in Ireland. Peter Sutherland was one of the architects of the Single Market, you all know it, one of the greatest economic achievements of our European Union today. This is where the prosperity comes from. Because we all know, we are much more than just 27 Member States, we are an economic powerhouse. And this Single Market is the foundation of our wealth. It is Peter Sutherland who was one of the architects. Many thanks again to him for having done and achieved all that. He was especially proud of having launched the Erasmus programme, because it is about youth. And of course, he knew that young people, if they travel across the European Union, if they have their first experience when studying abroad, that they will fall in love with the country they are in, and they will be the best ambassadors for the rest of their lives for this country and for the European ideas. Therefore, Erasmus has up until today offered over 65,000 Irish students and teachers, and actually more than 13 million people overall, life-changing experiences. It has enriched all of them and deepened personal and cultural bonds across our Union. For Peter Sutherland, greater integration of people and ideas, reaching out to others, was a way to check the nationalistic excesses that had disfigured the continent's recent history. Excesses that, in his own words, he had ‘seen too much of in his own country'.

When Ireland joined the European Union, the conflict in Northern Ireland showed few signs of ending, but European integration played a vital role in overcoming the hard border, and thus helped pave the way to reconciliation. We Europeans know by experience that the essence of this Union is to reach out among the people for peace and progress. Thus, my dear friends here tonight, let me reassure you again and let me promise to you again: Ireland can always count on the European Union to defend the peace process. Ireland can always count on the European Union to stand by the Good Friday Agreement. And Ireland can always count on the European Union to make sure that there will be no hard border again on the island of Ireland. Since joining the European family, Irish society has truly blossomed. Let me give you figures: In 1973, Ireland's GDP per head was around half the average of the Member States. Today, the GDP of Ireland per capita is double than the average of the European Union – in just 50 years. This is a remarkable achievement. It is also thanks to the ingenuity of the Irish people, and their enthusiastic use of freedoms. Freedoms to study, work, trade and travel across the European Union. Freedoms backed by a rules-based order that was so dear to Peter Sutherland.

And indeed, today, these rules and rights are threatened. The right to be a free and democratic nation, and the right to decide on your own future. Russia's war in Ukraine is a direct attack on these rights. Russia has the declared objective to bring down a legitimate government and establish rule from Moscow. It is merciless in its attempt to terrorise the Ukrainian people by deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, cutting off children, women and men, young and old, from water, heating, and electricity, and winter is coming. This is a blatant breach of humanitarian law and the UN Charter. This is why we stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes. Ukraine can rely on us and our support. Because we all also very clearly feel it in this historical moment: Yes, Russia's war is about Ukraine, but it is not only about Ukraine. And that is why we know that Ukraine is fighting for more and for us. Because Russia's war is about autocracies against democracies. It is about the question: Will there be the right of might or the rule of law? Will there be new walls and trenches or peaceful coexistence and open cooperation between people and countries? For us Europeans, the choice is clear. We stand up for this fight that Ukraine is fighting for us. We stand at the side of open democratic societies in Europe and beyond.

For this, Europe has to remain strong itself. This is why we are working hard to increase the resilience of our Union. We are defending the rule of law, outside the European Union as well as inside. We are breaking free from Russia's blackmail on fossil fuels. We are investing in renewable energy like never before. Because we want to take responsibility for future generations by implementing our European Green Deal. It is for our children that we are doing that – our new growth strategy. It is their future that will be decided now. It is worth fighting for it.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We want Europe to be a force for progress and for good, and for peace. This is our mission. This was Peter Sutherland's mission. And thanks to individuals like him, but also thanks to all the European citizens of Ireland, I am confident that we will progress being a force for good; being a force for peace. You stand for what you believe, and you never take freedom or peace for granted. Because you know how fragile and how precious it is.

Therefore, long live our passion for peace; long live our passion for freedom; long live Ireland; long live Europe.