Enduring values of the EU cannot be taken for granted

On May 9, 1950, in the wake of the second world war, Robert Schuman, the then foreign minister of France, called for the unification of Europe in order to make war on the continent impossible and to spread peace and prosperity globally. Schuman's declaration drew a positive response from five other European countries, including Germany, France's erstwhile foe.

This kicked off Europe's gradual integration. And May 9 came to be called Europe Day - the day to celebrate how the European Union overcame age-old differences to shape a common future.

Around the globe, whether in Cairo or Kiev, people want what we have in the EU: personal rights and freedoms, democratic governance, rule of law and a decent living. Events in Ukraine show we cannot take these values for granted.

In today's Europe, we see that democracy is a constant work in progress; we share a responsibility to safeguard and nurture it. And we will stand by those who call for it.

The EU created a common foreign policy to ensure our voice is heard. In the face of big problems such as fragile states, pandemics, energy security, climate change and migration, we are more effective together than individually. Through the work of the European External Action Service, led by Catherine Ashton, we promote EU values and interests around the world, with human rights as a silver thread.

The EU also plays an important role in regional security issues. Ashton leads the talks of the "EU3 plus 3" (Germany, France and Britain as well as the US, China and Russia) with Iran. These talks resulted in an interim agreement on Iran's nuclear programme last November - a crucial step towards de-escalating an emerging crisis.

Take also the Horn of Africa, where, thanks to a combination of political dialogue with the government of Somalia, our naval mission Atalanta, and targeted aid, piracy has been reduced by 95 per cent. Today, the young men who used to man pirate ships are going to school.