European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Keynote speech by Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič on "EU-UK relations after Brexit" at the Mario Soares Promotion Closing Ceremony, College of Europe Bruges, 18 June 2021 Thank you very much, dear Lukáš (Dravecký) – srdečne ďakujem! It is truly an honour to be introduced by a fellow Slovak, representing a new generation of Europeans and the future of our Union. Dear Rector, Federica Mogherini, Dear Mayor, Dirk De Fauw, Dear Directors of Studies, Dear Professors, Distinguished guests, And most importantly, dear students of the prestigious College of Europe, It is a privilege to be here, in the magnificent city of Bruges, for the Mario Soares Promotion closing ceremony. When I learnt that this year's promotion was dedicated to the father of Portuguese democracy, I was thrilled. Mario Soares is an example of vision, and resilience. He relentlessly opposed dictatorship, fought for the freedom of his country and its people, and led them into the forerunner of today's European Union. As someone who lived a great part of his youth behind a barbed wire fence – Churchill's infamous Iron Curtain – I can truly relate. When retiring from politics, Mario Soares said: “If I had been living in a democracy – instead of spending thirty-two years in and out of jail, running from the police and conspiring in secret – I could have achieved a lot more for Portugal.” What a Statesman! What an inspiration! Dear students, I know that you too find inspiration, and a moral compass, from the great Europeans of our history. Though our continent's political, economic and social landscape has changed profoundly – out of the fences and division of the past has come today's unity, and solidarity – I know that all of you will give your best to carry on the torch for your countries and the European Union. I always find it uplifting to be at the College of Europe – a living “microcosm” of our European Union, or even a “Fab Lab” for future generations of Europeans. I know that the College of Europe is a place of hard work and dedication. But it is also a place of life- changing experiences, explorations and discovery – where bridges are built across cultures and languages. With this in mind, I want to congratulate all the students of the Mario Soares promotion for carrying on with their studies in this most difficult – and yet highly formative – year. * Every age has its own challenges. Today, we are picking up the pieces in the aftermath of a global pandemic, even as the world continues to change at an unprecedented pace and scale. Humanity's ecological footprint has led to the global climate emergency. The worldwide race for technological leadership is set to transform our economic models and our societies – bringing a sense of uncertainty. The age of disinformation, combined with persisting inequalities, puts a strain on democracy. At the same time, young people around the world are making their voices heard like never before – pushing to shape the agenda in recognition that it is their futures on the line. We know that our actions today will define the role and nature of Europe for the rest of the 21st century – and whether new generations, including yours, will be better off than their predecessors. I am convinced that to address these era-defining changes, we need more Europe – not less. We need your generation strongly engaged in defining your own future. And we need to continue to forge our European unity. This fits well with the legacy of many leading European figures, from Mario Soares to Salvador de Madariaga, instrumental in the creation of this College, and from Václav Havel to Jacques Delors. There is one ongoing example where our unity stands out against all odds – and it is my privilege to experience it first-hand. I am talking about how our Member States and our European Institutions have stood together in the wake of Brexit. I promised the Rector, dear Federica, that I would try to describe today how I see our deep-rooted relations with the United Kingdom. * To start, we must go back some thirty-three years – a year before the fall of the Berlin Wall – when the UK Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, came to this College to deliver her famous ‘Bruges' speech on Britain and Europe. And I remember that even though it was a clearly anti-federalist speech, it also was very pro- European in its own way – underlining, among other things, the intertwined fate of the UK and the rest of Europe over hundreds of years. She stressed the imperative of “standing together” as well as “understanding each other better”, saying: “I want to see us work more closely on the things we can do better together than alone.” And we should remember everything we have accomplished with the integral support and contribution of the UK during its 47 years of membership in the European family: Building the single European market; reforming the Common Agricultural Policy; supporting enterprise, innovation and competitiveness; but also striking global trade agreements; defending freedom and human rights around the globe; fighting all types of discrimination; and strengthening our security through deeper cooperation with NATO. We also did “not forget those living east of the Iron Curtain” – to cite Margaret Thatcher in Bruges again – and we therefore became a truly European Union. And yet, some five years ago almost to the day, the United Kingdom chose to leave our Union and unpick decades of close integration. While respecting the democratic decision of UK voters, a vast majority of us very much regretted this decision. We had no doubt that this was a lose-lose situation – and nothing has happened subsequently to change our minds. The five years since have felt both very long and very short. Long because of the countless rounds of negotiations with the UK, patiently led by my colleague and friend, Michel Barnier. Long because of the challenges we have had to overcome – from the protection of EU citizens and UK nationals who had enjoyed the free movement rights of the European Union, to the unique situation on the island of Ireland, to the level playing field, and to the sensitive issue of fisheries, amongst others. And short, given their far-reaching outcome. Two international treaties negotiated, signed and ratified in what was, relatively speaking, lightning speed. I am talking about the Withdrawal Agreement, and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, as the most comprehensive international deal adopted yet. This is a major achievement, which clearly shows that the long history of cooperation between the EU and the UK did not come to a halt on 23 June 2016. * The European Union and the United Kingdom are, and will remain, close neighbours and strategic allies. We share fundamental values and principles, such as democracy, the rule of law, freedom of speech, respect for minorities and the fight against discrimination. We share strong political objectives, such as protecting people around the world from the pandemic, fighting climate change, combatting terrorism, and confronting geopolitical threats from those who seek to do us harm. We also traditionally share faith in a multilateral, rules-based global order, as the best way to solve conflicts. We both believe in bringing joined-up responses to global challenges, we support the United Nations, and play a positive role in the G7, for instance. Given these common familial traits – as well as our global interdependence – I believe we cannot afford to spend any more time fighting a supposed zero-sum game. Rather, we must use all our energy to build the kind of cooperation we need in today's world – rigorously promoting those common values, interests and objectives, for our collective benefit. For that, we need to finally move on from Brexit once and for all, and forge a path towards a shared future between two strong, strategic partners. At times, this may sound like wishful thinking. But there is everything to gain from this – if it is embraced as our common objective. There are, I believe, three keys to succeed on this journey, which I will discuss in greater detail. First and foremost, we need to restore trust by respecting our international obligations and living up to our responsibilities. Second, we need to build a strategic and enduring relationship with the UK, based on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. And third, we need to act as close partners in the world. On the EU side, this means continuing to invest forcefully in the future of our European Union. * So first: To restore trust, we have to abide by our international obligations, notably those stemming from the Withdrawal Agreement. During the negotiations, the EU paid utmost attention to the impact Brexit would have on our citizens as well as on the people of the United Kingdom. Our protective approach to citizens' rights will always be a central tenet of our thinking. This affects more than six million people and we are working flat out with our Member States and the UK to make sure their rights are fully upheld. That means ensuring that more than five million EU citizens living in the UK have legal certainty and can continue to benefit – economically, socially and culturally – from residence status. There are just two weeks left for EU citizens to apply to keep this status before the deadline at the end of this month. We must therefore continue our constructive cooperation. And generally speaking, we must treat each other's citizens with the utmost respect and fairness – be it at our borders or in their daily lives.