Von der Leyen, we will act against violations of EU values

BRUSSELS, 29 SEPTEMBER - "Our motto is 'unity in diversity' but it has yet to be achieved. In our continent there is still racism and anti-Semitism, minorities are not always respected and there are violations of the rights of LGBT people. Not only that. We have seen critical issues in the rule of law, shortcomings on the independence of the judiciary and concerns about corruption ".

Thus Ursula von der Leyen in Athens.

"All this - she noted - is against our values, the EU treaties and against democracy. The Commission, as guardian of the treaties, is called to act".

"For 25 centuries democracy has been attacked by autocracies. History repeats itself tragically, but I am convinced that democracy will win".

She said the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on a visit to Athens, where she participated in the tenth edition of the Democracy Forum.

The president highlighted the anniversary of the Persian attack on Greek city-states,

which ultimately triumphed in the battle of Salamis against all odds.

"Then, for the first time, the autocracy attacked democracy. The Greeks did not fight for the greed of one man but for their freedom. Today it happens again in Ukraine: it is the same war for 25 centuries, the war of the autocracy against democracy ".

"Democracy - he added - will not be perfect but it is perfectible. When we said yes to the prospect of Ukraine's entry into the EU there are those who objected, because perhaps it is too young a democracy. But from the Maidan in then Ukraine has implemented more reforms than in previous decades. And the majority of these progresses have been achieved because the Ukrainians have the EU in their hearts, as happens in other countries in Europe, from Albania to Moldova to Georgia ".