Opening Ceremonies

Each year the College invites distinguished guest speakers to the Opening Ceremonies for the Bruges and the Natolin (Warsaw) campuses. Guest speakers have included:

2022-2023

Ms Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament (Bruges)
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2021-2022

Mr Alexander de Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium (Bruges)
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Ms Olha STEFANISHYNA, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine (Natolin (Warsaw))
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2020-2021

​​Mr Marcelo REBELO DE SOUSA, President of Portugal (Bruges)
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Mrs Sviatlana TSIKHANOUSKAYA, Leader of the Democratic Belarus (Natolin (Warsaw))
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2019-2020

​​Mr Donald TUSK, President of the European Council (Bruges)
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(Natolin (Warsaw))
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2018-2019

​Mr Antonio TAJANI, President of the European Parliament (Bruges)
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Mr Tibor NAVRACSICS, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (Natolin (Warsaw))
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2017-2018

​Mr António COSTA, Prime Minister of Portugal (Bruges)
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Mr Andrzej DUDA, President of the Republic of Poland (Natolin (Warsaw))
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2016-2017

​Mr Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the European Commission (Bruges)
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Mrs Ivanna KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE, Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine (Natolin (Warsaw))
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2015-2016

Mr Alexander STUBB, Minister of Finance of Finland (Bruges)
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Mr Johannes HAHN, European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations (Natolin (Warsaw))
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2014-2015

Mr Mariano RAJOY, President of the Government of Spain (Bruges)
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2013-2014

 

Mr Iñigo MENDEZ DE VIGO, President of the Administrative Council of the College of Europe and Spanish Secretary of State for the European Union (Bruges)
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Mr Bronisław KOMOROWSKI, President of the Republic of Poland (Natolin (Warsaw))
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2012-2013

 

Mrs Helle THORNING-SCHMIDT, Prime Minister of Denmark (Bruges)
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Mr Vladimir FILAT, Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova (Natolin (Warsaw))
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2011-2012

 

President Giorgio NAPOLITANO, President of the Republic of Italy (Bruges)
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Mr José M. DURAO BARROSO, President of the European Commission (Natolin (Warsaw))
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2010-2011

Mrs Angela MERKEL, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bruges)
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Mr Štefan FÜLE, Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy (Natolin (Warsaw))
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2009-2010

Mr. Jerzy BUZEK, President of the European Parliament (Bruges)
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President Toomas Hendrik ILVES, President of the Republic of Estonia (Natolin (Warsaw))
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2008-2009

Mr. Yves LETERME, Prime Minister of Belgium (Bruges)
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Mr. Hans-Gert PÖTTERING, President of the European Parliament (Natolin (Warsaw))
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2007-2008

The Rt Hon David MILIBAND, Member of Parliament for South Shields and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Bruges)
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Carl BILDT, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden (Natolin (Warsaw))
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2006-2007

Jean-Claude JUNCKER, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Minister of State, and Minister of Finance (Bruges)
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Aliaksandr MILINKEVICH, Leader of the opposition in Belarus (Natolin (Warsaw))
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2005-2006

Javier SOLANA, High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union (Bruges)
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Viktor YUSHCHENKO, President of Ukraine

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2004-2005

José M. DURAO BARROSO, President of the European Commission
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Josep Borrell FONTELLES, President of the European Parliament (Natolin (Warsaw))
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2003-2004

Joschka FISCHER, German Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs

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Danuta HÜBNER, Polish Minister of European Affairs (Natolin (Warsaw))

2002-2003

Valéry GISCARD D’ESTAING, President of the European Convention (Bruges)
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Erhard BUSEK, Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe (Natolin (Warsaw))

2001-2002

Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI, President of Poland (Bruges)
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Guy VERHOFSTADT, Prime Minister of Belgium (Natolin (Warsaw))
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2000-2001

George PAPANDREOU, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece (Bruges)
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Jan KULAKOWSKI, Minister Plenipotentiary, Chief Negotiator of Poland for the EU Accession Negotiations (Natolin (Warsaw))

1999-2000 Jacques DELORS, President of the Administrative Board of the College of Europe (Bruges)
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Jacques DELORS, President of the Administrative Board of the College of Europe (Natolin (Warsaw))
1998-1999

Jean-Luc DEHAENE, Prime Minister of Belgium (Bruges)

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H.R.H. Prince Philippe of Belgium (Natolin (Warsaw))
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1997-1998 Antonio GUTERRES, Prime Minister of Portugal (Bruges)
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Ursula STENZEL, Member of the European Parliament (Natolin (Warsaw))
1996-1997 Wim KOK, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (Bruges)
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Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI, President of Poland (Natolin (Warsaw))
1995-1996 Klaus HÄNSCH, President of the European Parliament (Bruges)
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Jacques SANTER, President of the European Commission (Natolin (Warsaw))
1994-1995 H.M. King Juan Carlos I of Spain (Bruges)
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Andrzej OLECHOWSKI, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland (Natolin (Warsaw))
1993-1994 Thomas KLESTIL, President of Austria
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1992-1993 Jacques SANTER, Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
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1991-1992 Flavio COTTI, President of the Swiss Confederation
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1990-1991 Richard VON WEIZSÄCKER, President of the Federal Republic of Germany
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1989-1990 Jacques DELORS, President of the Commission of the European Communities
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1988-1989 Margaret THATCHER, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
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1987-1988 François MITTERRAND, President of France
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1986-1987 Ruud F.M. LUBBERS, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
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1985-1986 Felipe GONZALEZ, President of the Spanish government
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1984-1985 Altiero SPINELLI, President of the Institutional Commision of the European Parliament
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1983-1984 Garret FITZGERALD, Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland
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1982-1983 Gaston E. THORN, President of the Commission of the European Communities
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1981-1982 Bruno KREISKY, Federal Chancellor of Austria
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1980-1981 Simone VEIL, President of the European Parliament
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1979-1980 Andries VAN AGT, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
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1978-1979 Guy SPITAELS, Belgian Minister for Employment and Labour
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1977-1978 Mario SOARES, Prime Minister of Portugal
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1976-1977 Leo TINDEMANS, Prime Minister of Belgium
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1975-1976 Edgar FAURE, President of the French National Assembly
1974-1975

François-Xavier ORTOLI, President of the Commission of the European Communities

Herman DE CROO, Belgian Minister of National (Flemish) Education

1973-1974 Karl Otto PÖHL, Secretary of State with the Ministry of Finance of the Federal Republic of Germany
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1972-1973 Lord GEORGE-BROWN, former Minister of Foreign Affairs for the United Kingdom
1971-1972 Altiero SPINELLI, Member of the Commission of the European Communities
1970-1971 Jean REY, President of the Administrative Board of the College of Europe
1969-1970 H.R.H. Prince Albert of Belgium
1968-1969 Robert VAN SCHENDEL, Secretary-General of the European Movement and Executive Director of the College of Europe
1967-1968 Alfons DE VREESE, professor and Counsellor of the Court of Cassation of Belgium
1966-1967 Jean REY, Member of the Commission of the European Communities, President of the Administrative Board of the College of Europe
J. Robert SCHAETZEL, Ambassador for the United States to the European Communities
1964-1965 Don Salvador DE MADARIAGA, President of the Administrative Board of the College of Europe
1962-1963 Pierre HARMEL, former Belgian Minister, future Belgian Prime Minister
1961-1962 Hugo GEIGER, President of the Commission for Research and Culture of the European Parliamentary Assembly
1949 J. VAN HOESTENBERGHE
Don Salvador DE MADARIAGA