By Arber Hitaj President of the Association of European Journalists
Today, as May 9 marks the anniversary of a project born from the ashes of war to bring peace, we must reflect on the fact that Europe is not merely a geographical map or a collection of institutions in Brussels.
As President of the European Association, an organization that transcends national borders, I believe that Europe is above all a spiritual and moral space. On this day, our message goes beyond member states; it is addressed to all those who aspire to freedom, especially countries such as Albania, for whom the journey toward our family is not simply a political objective, but a natural destination of shared values.
For aspiring countries, the integration process should never be seen merely as a technical checklist to fulfill in exchange for a visa or funding.
At its core, it is a profound social transformation that guarantees that the rule of law will be stronger than any individual, and that human rights will remain inviolable. In this journey, media freedom stands as the cornerstone.
A society that does not protect its journalists and guarantee freedom of speech cannot call itself European, regardless of its location on the map. A free press is the mechanism that keeps our collective conscience awake and protects democracy from internal decay.
Today, this European model is being tested by aggressive forces seeking to turn back time. We see a Russia that uses brutal force to destroy the sovereignty of a people, an Iran that seeks to export destabilization and insecurity, and even fluctuations within our traditional alliances such as those with the United States, where politics at times challenges our shared predictability. In the face of these autocracies, which feed on fear and control, Europe must offer the alternative of human dignity. Our strength does not lie in threats, but in the attraction of our values: the freedom to think, the right to dissent, and the security to live in peace.
The importance of preserving these values has never been more urgent. We cannot allow fatigue from integration processes or economic challenges to make us turn a blind eye to human rights violations. Europe exists wherever a citizen in Tirana, Kyiv, or Prishtina demands independent justice and transparency. We are a community united not by language or religion, but by the unwavering belief that human beings are the purpose of the state, never its instrument.
On this anniversary, let us promise that we will not build walls, but strengthen the bridges of our shared principles. For Albania and the wider region, the European home remains open as long as we keep alive the flame of freedom and truth. This is our Europe, a project that knows no borders when it comes to defending human dignity, and an unbreakable shield against every tyranny that seeks to divide us.
Happy Europe Day!
