Bruges, Belgium, 22 June 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The next generation of EU officials must defend freedom and democracy, the ideals of the European Union, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a speech on Friday.

"There has never been a tougher time to fight for Europe but I'm sure there has never been a more important time to fight for Europe," Steinmeier said.

The German president was speaking in Bruges, Belgium, to a graduating class from the College of Europe, an elite institution that trains the next generation of officials to staff the EU institutions.

In his speech, Steinmeier urged the graduating class to be optimistic, a rare commodity he acknowledged especially "in a Europe where crisis mode" seems to be the new normal.

Encouraging the graduate class to be hopeful, Steinmeier recalled the challenges his generation faced with the end of communism in Germany and Europe and the fall of the Berlin wall.

"Yes it is truly a tough time to enter into public service. Every generation feels the call of history. Every generation faces challenges that define it," Steinmeier said.

"But with one look at the world around us, I think it's fair to say, more is asked of your generation than many generations before," he said, and highlighted the challenges of climate change and war in Ukraine and in the Middle East.

The German president noted a rise in division and extreme rhetoric in European politics after the success of the far right in the European parliament elections.

Steinmeier called on the graduates to protect democracy and the EU from extremism so that young Europeans are not killed again "for the sake of nationalism and hatred."

Photo: MIA archive