"Above all, we need to lean into our achievements. Europe remains an oasis of security, stability, and the rule of law. We have independent courts, who strive not to be mere mouthpieces of whoever is in power. We keep our word. We respect contracts. Our continent respects and admires science, reads history, cares about culture, and is mindful of the lessons of the past. We should use those things to become a magnet for investment, for innovation, for people with new ideas. Our very predictability is an advantage in a world of unpredictable powers." "We did invent divisive and ugly ideas, and we can retrieve them from the past. But all of the texts that led to the birth of classical liberalism were written here too, if we want to find them, revive them, and reinterpret them for the present." Anne Applebaum, The Speech to Europe 2026 https://www.erstestiftung.org/en/a-speech-to-europe-2026-the-european-moment/
