Her Excellency, Mrs Bounkham VORACHIT, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment,

His Excellency, Mr Maythong Thammavongsa, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs,

Ministers, ambassadors, deputy ministers, representatives from government, business and civil society, distinguished guests,

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to my first Europe Day reception here in Vientiane.

We are marking many important anniversaries this year. 

• The 105th anniversary of the birth of former President Kaysone Phomvihane.

• The 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party.

• The 50th anniversary of the founding of the Lao PDR.

• The 80^th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, including this week the 80^th anniversary of Victory in Europe.

Europe Day itself falls on 9 May. That date marks the anniversary of the “Schuman Declaration” in 1950, a proposal made by Robert Schuman, French Foreign Minister, for European cooperation. Schuman's proposal is the basis for what is now the European Union. 

This year is the 75^th anniversary of that visionary declaration.

In 1950, European countries were slowly recovering from the human and economic devastation caused by World War II, under the shadow of the Cold War.

Robert Schuman’s declaration aimed to establish peace and solidarity between former enemies.

He, and others of his generation in France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, shared a vision of a united Europe and an end to conflict between European countries.

In our time, Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine has brought war back to Europe. But that has only reinforced Europe’s desire to defend what it has achieved.

The President of the European Council, António Costa, has said in clear terms that, “Europe is a peace project, but peace without defence is an illusion.”

And so the European Union is adapting to new political realities which were not of our choosing. We are stepping up our security and defence capabilities. This task concerns us all and, to this end, the European Union will continue to work closely with our partners and friends around the world. 

At the same time, we are also building resilience within our Union, ensuring the competitiveness of our economy while staying the course on our green transition alongside our digital transformation.

The European Union is committed to peace, freedom, partnership, and cooperation — in Europe and worldwide.   

The European Union stands firm on the principles of the United Nations Charter, including respect for the territorial integrity of states. Our ASEAN friends, and their partners, have expressed the same commitment in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. Like ASEAN, the European Union will defend and promote a rules-based international order, not the law of the strongest. 

So the European Union will maintain its commitment to multilateralism, with the United Nations fully empowered to find solutions to the challenges faced by humanity. I take this opportunity to commend the work of the UN and its agencies here in Laos.

We are ready to shape the future of multilateralism together with the Lao PDR, in line with the Pact for the Future adopted by all UN Member States in New York last September. Our engagement with the Pact will help our partner, the Lao PDR, reach its development objectives.

The past year has been a very exciting one for Lao-EU relations. We congratulate you on your very successful Chairmanship of ASEAN.

The year saw an unprecedented number of visits, culminating in the invitation to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, to attend the East Asia Summit as a Guest of the Chair. We deeply appreciate your commitment to closer ASEAN-EU relations.

On the ground, “Team Europe” continued to advance its cooperation with the Lao government. Team Europe combines the efforts of the European Union, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Belgium, Finland, Ireland and Switzerland.

In support of the 9^th National Socio-Economic Development Plan, Team Europe has increased our financial commitment from EUR 550 million to EUR 672 million, focusing on the green economy, governance, and education.

And if you were wondering why it was a challenge to access this venue today, the construction work on Setthathirath Road is partly our fault – a joint project by the European Investment Bank and Asian Development Bank to construct Vientiane’s first Bus Rapid Transit system, part of the Vientiane Sustainable Urban Transport Project, a collaboration between the Lao government and its international partners.

These are all illustrations that, as global challenges grow, the European Union remains your reliable, consistent, predictable and principled partner.

First of all, a partner for prosperity, committed to rules-based trade and sustainable development. Through the Global Gateway, the EU is investing in infrastructure projects worldwide. Our vision of a shared future supports mutually beneficial, long-term partnerships.

Secondly, a principled, consistent and reliable partner for life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable. The European Union provided humanitarian assistance to communities in Laos impacted by Typhoon Yagi last September, and in Myanmar after the devastating earthquake in March. Together, the EU and its member countries are the world's leading donors of humanitarian aid, helping millions of people worldwide each year.

Thirdly, we will continue to be your partner in trade and investment. Europe is reliable, predictable and open for fair business. Europe has trade agreements with 76 countries. We just concluded trade deals with Mercosur, Mexico and Switzerland. We aim to conclude a trade agreement with India by the end of the year. We are in negotiations with Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. We will continue to build bridges with all those who, like us, care about fair and rules-based trade as the basis for shared prosperity.

As the Lao PDR approaches graduation from Least Developed Country status, we will work with the government to support its Smooth Transition Strategy. We will guarantee Laos three further years as a beneficiary of our most generous unilateral trade offer – duty-free/quota-free exports to the EU under our Everything But Arms arrangement. And cooperate to ensure Laos can benefit from the most generous arrangement possible for graduated countries from 2029.

Finally, Europe will be your partner in adapting to a changing climate. Climate adaptation is a crucial part of our Global Gateway investment agenda. Together, both with Laos and ASEAN, we can build on your success as a renewable energy powerhouse. 

Distinguished guests, as the Ambassador of the European Union I have been greatly touched by the wonderful welcome you have afforded to me and my family. We all look forward to the years ahead in Laos. And I look forward to advancing EU-Lao relations. We have done a lot, but there is much more we can do together.

The world is changing rapidly and is becoming more fragmented. International cooperation has turned into global competition. The European Union remains your reliable partner, ready to invest in mutually beneficial relations based on trust and respect.

As we prepare to celebrate another anniversary later this year, the 50^th anniversary of Lao PDR – EU diplomatic relations, we recommit to advancing our partnership. Together we can uphold our values and stand strong in a more contested and unstable world.

Happy Europe Day.