Van Rompuy shows concern over EU challenges

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy expressed on Saturday his concern over the challenges the European Union (EU) is facing currently. In his Berlin speech commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Van Rompuy said in his "Europe" speech that the continent is facing rising distrust, which could only be countered with concrete policy successes. "Growth has to come back, jobs must be created," Van Rompuy stressed. He also warned of growing populism in the EU member states, saying "Populism and nationalism can not give the answer to the challenges of our time." Meanwhile, he is also worried about the little mobility in the EU, as millions of jobs were unfilled despite high unemployment. Van Rompuy called for a deepening European integration and more shared responsibility in the foreign and security policy. Since 2010, every year on Nov. 9, a top European politician gives a "Europe" speech in the German capital city Berlin to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which also signified the end of Europe division. Van Rompuy said: "The Europe after the Berlin Wall is still in process of construction," noting the EU should not just be a neutral space, but has to become "home" for its citizens.