C’est le moment de raviver la force de l’alliance transatlantique » — la Présidente Metsola à Washington D.C.  

I have to say how great it is to be here because I have always admired this great university and your commitment over the last 236 years to making this shared world of ours a little bit better. For your commitment to community. For pushing change and shaping protagonists — girls and boys who grow up on this campus and who understand the value of service to others — whether in politics, medicine, art, business, diplomacy, sport, philosophy or academia. 

This Jesuit-founded university is not only an American institution, but a global icon of free-thinking. 

It was those formative years of my studies in my country and in others that instilled in me the passion for change. It planted the idea that none of us are passive spectators and that you are never too few or too alone to make a real difference. It is this perhaps unfashionable idea of duty to a cause greater than oneself. 

My outlet to do this was politics. To me, that was the best forum to push change. It is not the only one, but despite the bruising back-and-forth, the scandals and the scrutiny, I am here to tell you that it remains a noble cause. And I hope that some of you take the plunge and get involved. No matter how difficult it sounds. So, if you take one thing away from my remarks today, let it be this: you are democracy’s next generation and you are not here to sit on the sidelines. I am going to ask you to lead. I am going to ask you to stand up for what you believe in. 

That is not always easy to do. You will face criticism. Sometimes fairly. Sometimes less so. Online people will write things that are often horrible to read. For women, it is inevitably harder. But the fight is worth it. And as our way comes under increasing pressure, we will look to you to carry the torch as it was passed on to us. 

In 1988, just outside this building on the Healy Lawn, President Reagan gave a speech on the importance of freedom as ‘the first principle of society’ and he reached out to the ‘millions who still live under the yoke of communism’.

There were millions who lived in our Europe under that yoke who heard him. Who believed in a better way. Who looked to the United States and what was then Western Europe. Those words reverberated around the world and into the ears of those people in the Baltics, East Germany, Poland, Hungary and so many more who wanted their children to live in liberty. An idea as old as this nation but that speaks to the soul of everyone. 

A year later, that yoke crumbled and millions in Europe were set free. I remember watching, on a small television in my grandmother’s house, the Berlin Wall come crashing down. Then, just a month later, in what was the worst storm in a generation, President Bush met President Gorbachev in Malta – my country - to officially end the Cold War. A peace that so many had for decades thought impossible was found in the middle of the Mediterranean, on an island 17 miles long and 9 miles wide. Remember that next time you think or you are told that you are too small to matter.

That’s the spirit that we need to see today. 

Mine is the last generation to have known that world — a world where democracy was not a given. Many of you have grown up knowing only peace and, more broadly, prosperity. Perhaps we did grow a little comfortable, even complacent, with the idea that our way of free and open societies was here to stay. That we had won the definitive ideological battle of our time. Perhaps we allowed the pendulum to swing too far, thinking we would never go back. Perhaps we forgot the lessons of history.

Then came February 24th 2022, when Russian tanks rolled into free Ukraine. On that date, our international order was dealt a blow, and our sense of security took a hit. The invasion of Ukraine marked a generational shift. We realised that the economic ties that we had built, would keep us safe, but they did not do so. We were vulnerable. Our way was threatened. That is what came under attack. And Ukraine became our line in the sand. Being unfree is still a part of our living memory as Europe. We know what is at stake and we will rise to meet this moment, to ensure freedom and to ensure peace. Real peace — not subjugation. Not a peace that paves the way for a bloodier battle down the road.

So now, our democracies collectively are called upon once again to stand up and work for that elusive peace. A peace that requires leadership. America and Europe have proved again and again that peace and progress require cooperation, that freedom and justice are not simply ideals, but they are shared responsibilities. Our shared future relies on the strength of that transatlantic relationship. And our joint drive for peace in Ukraine is the litmus test for our enduring strength of the way we live, the values we hold so dear. I call it the test of our political generation.

Our bond is more than just geopolitical and historical — it is, fundamentally, logical. We need to work together, to find shared solutions to common challenges and the very similar demands that our democracies face.

On both sides of the Atlantic, people want the same things: affordable housing, security, safety, stable jobs, the hope for a better future for their children. And it is the job of our democracies – all of us who run for election - to answer those demands. No one else will do it for us. Because ultimately, for democracy to work, it has to provide solutions to the real problems that people face. Otherwise, we should absolutely not be surprised when people find comfort in the extremes and the fringes that only offer false answers to impossible questions. 

Those of us in positions of influence have an obligation — even a duty — to deliver on the promise made a generation ago. Across our two continents and beyond, more and more people are questioning democracy. Is it worth it? Do I vote? Choosing not to vote or voting against something rather than for something. In response, we need to take the bold decisions that bring the change people want. We need to prove to them that our shared democratic path is the right way — even the only way— to build a better future or all. 

The truth is that it is much easier to sell an extremist narrative.  That is why it is on us to do what we can to reinforce the political centre. To stand with those who want to build rather than destroy. To show that we have the answers even to the hardest of questions. That yes, there is value in compromise; that we prefer to bring people onboard rather them push them away. 

Our way must deliver better and faster if it is to remain the political driving force of this generation. We cannot ignore reality and assume that people will vote just because that is what they have always done, or what they parents have done. We need to take the argument to the extremists and we need to beat them with facts. With actions that are anchored in our shared values. We challenge their narrative not ignore it.

That means that the centre must not only hold but deliver. And that is becoming harder, which is why we need to get better. The fringes and extremes are on the rise, and that threatens our way. We need to be honest about that. And the real threat comes if the centre cannot deliver real results. We have to take the bull by the horns – even if it is very difficult, if it seems impossible - and never underestimate how fragile this all is. We can do that, but we need to be faster. We need to be better. And we need to do it together. 

The international order that we all benefit from, that keeps our economies moving and drives our societies forward, was built together, not individually. That’s why our transatlantic relationship and partnership matters. Why America First cannot become America alone. And I have to say I’ve been really encouraged by my meetings on the Hill this week. I’ve seen a real difference between a few months ago and today.

The US-EU trade is currently worth 1.7 trillion dollars annually. Since we forged a US-EU trade agreement this summer, we’ve regained economic ground and restored opportunity and security for businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. Because this agreement is just one step forward and a lot of things still need to be done.

To make life for people on both sides of the Atlantic easier, more prosperous, more secure, we need to do much more to make our economies work for people. In Europe, we need to absolutely make our legislation clearer, simpler, easier to navigate. 

During my visit here, I’m speaking with American and European CEOs whose businesses span the Atlantic. They tell me: I need to grow in the United States and I need to grow in Europe. And there’s potential for both at the same time, and not at each other’s expense.

My message to them is consistently the same: Europe is open for business. Because a stronger European economy benefits everyone. It can benefit everyone. It guarantees our open economies. It also guarantees our social safety nets that we are proud of. For us, this is a win-win.

We still have a long way to go. Europe needs to do more to simplify, not complicate, people’s lives. But importantly, both our economies are heading in the right direction. 

Our continents don’t see eye to eye on everything. No one would expect that from free-thinking allies. But that does not mean we cannot cooperate and learn from each other and the way we do things. Because ultimately, we’re both working to make the technologies of the future, like artificial intelligence, work for democracy — not abuse it, not harm it. These are areas where we should be collaborating, not moving in opposite directions. One person put it to me that the next transformative battle we will have to face is democratic versus autocratic AI for examples. On the big issues, I am convinced we are on the same side. 

Showing that our democratic approach, our strong, boring centre, can deliver change and that we can deliver peace.

As Americans and Europeans, we value peace. We understand the sacrifice that is too often needed to secure it. Our stories – families that have grown together over two continents - are written in the sacrifices of those who gave everything to secure freedom over tyranny. In the words of one of this university’s former students, President Clinton: “Generations of Americans have understood that Europe's freedom and Europe's stability is vital to our own national security”. That remains true today. 

This means that Europe must realise that we need to play a greater role in our own defence. It is true, we sometimes struggle to adapt to shifting geopolitical sands with the necessary speed and agility. But that story is changing fast. We are seeing this every day. We are rising to meet NATO’s new target of 5% of GDP for defence. Last year, defence spending by the European Union’s Member States reached unprecedented levels. Meanwhile, we are working to increase our own defence systems interoperability and ramp up production. We know that it’s necessary to find and keep peace through this.

Shared security, prosperity, progress — this must be our roadmap to ensuring our democracies fulfil their promises. Delivering results that people can understand, that they can see and that they can feel every day. 

I’ve tried to be quite frank about the challenges ahead. But I believe that as close allies, we can — and we will — overcome them, and that democracy, with all its flaws and short-comings, is worth standing up for. And that our way can still be the guiding force that this world needs. Your generation can still see politics as the outlet of change.

Thank you.