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Good morning.
I want to begin by thanking the World Law Congress and Javier Cremades for today’s event.
I also want to acknowledge King Felipe VI of Spain, President Lasso, and all the dignitaries here.
And, of course, my dear friend Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, who we are all gathered to honour today.
Thank you, my friends, for being here today.
It was almost eighty years ago that we laid down our weapons after the deadliest war humankind had ever seen.
The Second World War left Europe in ruins.
It sent millions of people to their graves—people from all over the world, including tens of thousands of Canadians.
And it forced a reckoning.
For centuries, Europe had been riven with conflict—the continent’s history marked by endless rivalries and individual ambitions that led to bloody contests over land, over language, over resources.
I should know: Canada was a direct by-product of it.
But, by the middle of the twentieth century, leaders understood that the machinery of war had become too dangerous to allow to continue this way.
So, from the ashes of the second world war, the European Commission was born.
It was created by those who believed that if we tied our fates together through shared prosperity and collective growth — if we respected the rights, freedoms, languages, and cultures of others in return for their respect of our own — if we transcended the destabilizing forces of our individual interests and united ourselves in a community of values grounded in the rule of law — if we did that, we could overcome the brutal antagonism that had entrenched the continent for centuries and build a lasting peace.
It was a triumph of imagination over history.
The European Commission has emerged as a strong, globally important institution.
Combined, the European Commission member states represent the world’s third-largest economy, is home to half a billion people, who speak more than 24 languages, live in 27 different countries, practise myriad religions, and come from every corner of the globe.
The people, processes, institutions, and democratic values at the core of the European Commission have enabled peace and prosperity to prevail in Europe for over seven decades now.
This is the accomplishment we honour and award the European Commission with today.
And, to accept the award, is my friend, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
I have worked alongside her for almost four years now and can tell you that she personally embodies the very best values of the European Commission.
She is principled. She is compassionate. She is formidable.
And she drives outcomes through respect and consensus.
Canada was chosen today, to speak to European success in part because, yes, our own history was shaped by the historical power struggles I mentioned earlier.
But also because we too understand that, in this day and age, differences and diversity can be made into be a source of strength and resilience, not a source of weakness.
President von der Leyen took on her role at a time of uncertainty around the future of Europe.
Brexit left many wondering if the Union would continue to hold strong.
Euroscepticism was on the rise.
And protectionism and authoritarianism were becoming more prevalent.
This populism was not just European.
Excessive nationalism was breaking through around the world, threatening the principles of collective prosperity.
As choruses like “America First” got louder, both Canada and Europe held fast to our belief that growth doesn’t come from putting up walls and turning inwards.
Which is why we were able to sign an incredibly ambitious trade deal, together, against a backdrop of protectionism and insular thinking.
Canada and Europe both understand that we are at our best when we are all doing better.
We have faced crisis after crisis that has proven this.
Just a few months after Ursula took office as President, the pandemic hit. And her steady leadership made a real difference for Europe, for Canada and the world, too.
As a medical doctor, and as a mother of seven, Ursula understood that we would only get through it, if we got through it together.
We had many, many conversations during that time, and she always emphasized that, true resilience is only assured when we remain not just united by values, but act on them.
That principle is at the very core of the European Commission.
What underpins everything Canada and Europe stand for is the rule of law.
Ursula called the rule of law “essential for the protection of the values, on which our Union is founded: democracy, freedom, equality and respect for human rights.”
This place we are today, the United Nations, is one of the other great peacebuilding institutions to rise from the ruins of the second world war.
And its foundational document is the UN Charter.
193 countries are party to this charter, and it is one of the key instruments of international law.
Upholding and abiding by this charter is what has led to unprecedented peace, stability, and prosperity, around the world.
Which makes what Putin is trying to do a problem for everyone, everywhere.
Putin’s unprovoked and brutal invasion of Ukraine is an attempt to make might right. And if he succeeds, we will all suffer.
That’s why Canada, the European Union, and many of our friends and allies, will always be there for Ukraine.
Canada has been an unequivocally strong supporter of Ukraine.
We may live across the globe, but we advocate for them at all the multilateral tables where we have a voice, especially in the Global South.
Ursula has been unwavering in her own advocacy for Ukraine, in a European context that is complex.
In a time of energy crisis and inflation, it’s all the more difficult to hold political consensus.
But Ursula has been an incredibly effective leader.
She has galvanized European support, militarily, financially, and politically, for Ukraine’s defence.
And she has helped ensure that the democratic world remains steadfastly behind Ukraine.
She was one of the first foreign leaders to visit the country after the invasion began.
She witnessed the atrocities in Bucha firsthand, when there were still body bags in the streets.
She understands the scale of the humanitarian crisis and demonstrated her compassion when, in those early weeks of the invasion, she brought the world together to provide refuge and support to the millions of people fleeing Putin’s bombs.
I was in Kyiv last month, where I addressed the Verkhovna Rada.
I spoke of how Ukraine is the tip of the spear that is determining the future of the 21st century.
As united, sovereign nations, we must stand with Ukraine in their fight, with whatever it takes, for as long it takes.
We cannot let authoritarianism win.
We must ensure that borders mean something.
That might never become right.
That the ambitions and desires of one entity or one individual, do not stamp out the rights of others.
The German writer Thomas Mann described democracy as being built on respect for the infinite dignity of each individual.
We cannot take democracy for granted.
The European Commission has shown that when we overcome our differences, when we embrace them and forge consensus, that is the most powerful driver of solutions in the world.
And this is important because the future holds other enormous challenges.
The principles and values that we celebrate today are the very things that allow us to fight climate change and protect people from its worst impacts.
Under President von der Leyen’s leadership, Europe has laid a path to being net-zero by 2050.
And many European nations have accelerated their work to meet this target as they have moved away from Russian fossil fuels and towards clean energy.
Canada is ready to be your partner in this work—from Germany investing in Canadian hydrogen, to Romania drawing on Canadian nuclear energy expertise and solutions, among others.
In this highly uncertain moment, we must remember that security policy is climate policy is economic policy is social policy.
The stability of the rules based international order calls on us to unwind our dependence on commodities weaponized by authoritarian states, as we protect the resilience of our economies from their whims.
Which means standing up to bullies and protecting those who are suffering the most, while ensuring our middle class is strong and inequality does not take hold.
This is a consequential moment, and it calls for thoughtful leadership, and strong institutions.
And I cannot think of a better embodiment of those than Ursula von der Leyen and the European Commission.
You show us how respect for the dignity of all leads to the strength to protect peace, no matter what.
This is what we honour today.
Thank you.