Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Yesterday, Saturday, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, accompanied by the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, attended the handover ceremony of the European Union Solidarity Campaign “School Buses for Ukraine”. More than 370 school buses were delivered to Ukrainian communities. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska launched this solidarity campaign in November 2022.
School buses were officially handed over to representatives of local authorities in Kiev, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv and Chernihiv regions.
“Ukraine is still going through very difficult times, more than 600 days after the beginning of this brutal war that Russia launched against Ukraine,” von der Leyen said. “But today is about hope. Today is about the future. Today is about children.”
In fact, I remember well, when we met one year ago in Strasbourg, my dear Olena, she asked me to help alleviate the plight of Ukrainian children, whose schools had been destroyed by Russian bombs. With their schools gone, their world collapsed. And I already knew that the European Union had to do something about this and help these children go to other schools, so that they could continue to learn and play, and they could continue to be children even in these difficult times. So, we discussed: why not call for the solidarity of our Member States, regions, cities and companies? The response was overwhelming. I was sure they would respond, but it was amazing to see how quickly and cheerfully they responded immediately.
A year later, here we are. The “School Buses for Ukraine” campaign was a great success. Local authorities and companies from everywhere in our union donated 271 buses. As you can see in the little video, the European Commission was interested in bringing them to Ukraine and we purchased another 100 school buses. So, today, we are on 371 school buses transporting Ukraine's children to school safely. The Russian war may have robbed them of childhood innocence, but it will not deprive the children of the bright and happy future they deserve. I thank everyone in this hall who contributed to this success. The future must start here today, with all of you. Thank you very much for your contribution. This is a very special day.