Romania’s Pro-European Shift as Poland’s Youth Shape Europe’s Future
Mr Valentin Jucan, the Vice President of the National Audiovisual Council in the Republic of Romania sends us an exclusive letter:
Dear friends,
Dear young people of Poland,
Today, I’m not speaking to you as an official or a guest. I’m speaking to you as a European. As someone who shares the same dreams, the same fears, and the same hopes. I’m speaking as part of a generation that has learned one essential truth: freedom, once won, is never final. It must be protected. It must be renewed through choices. Through courage. Through participation.
We live in a time of paradox. Never before have we had access to so much information, and yet never has truth felt more distant. Never before have we been more connected, and yet so many feel more isolated, more lost in the digital noise. Power today is no longer measured in armies. It's measured in influence. In lies spoken smoothly. In doubts amplified carefully.
Disinformation is no longer an abstract threat. It is real. It infiltrates our feeds, our conversations, our choices. It whispers that voting doesn’t matter. That democracy is weak. That freedom is a burden. And most dangerously—it makes us believe we have no power.
But this is where the truth lies: your power is real. Immense. And the choices you make now, in these very days, will shape not only the future of Poland but the direction of all of Europe.
Because Poland is more than a country. It is a voice. A pillar of strength. A moral compass for those who know that democracy is not perfect—but it is the only path to a life where each person can choose, dream, and build.
Some will try to convince you that the past was better. That order means silence. That freedom of speech is dangerous. That the media is the enemy. But you know better. You know there is no progress without freedom. No justice without truth. And no future without participation.
Voting is your most powerful way of saying: “I am here. I matter. I care.”
It’s not just about choosing a name or a party. It’s about choosing the kind of country you want to live in. One that respects rights—or one that suppresses them. One that stands united with Europe—or one that retreats into fear.
Not voting means letting someone else decide your future. It might not feel urgent now. But what you choose today will shape whether tomorrow you can study freely across Europe.
Whether you can speak your mind without fear. Whether the press remains independent. Whether public institutions are held accountable.
Disinformation has a purpose—to keep you silent. To make you believe in nothing. To turn you into spectators in your own lives. Don’t give them that victory. In a world where many lie without shame, telling the truth becomes an act of bravery. And casting your vote becomes an act of defence.
Poland and Romania today are the two anchors of stability in Eastern Europe. We are the shield of democracy against a rising tide of authoritarianism. NATO relies on us. The European Union watches us. And more and more young people across the world look to us for courage and civic strength.
Every young voter in Poland who shows up is taking up this role. Every young citizen who chooses Europe embraces the mission to protect the values their grandparents dreamed of, and their parents built.
You might not feel the weight of that responsibility right now. It may seem like your voice won’t change much. But the future doesn’t just happen to you. It is either built—or lost—depending on the choices you make.
And the most dangerous thing is not making the wrong choice. It’s making no choice at all.
Look around you. Trust your instincts. Not just for yourself. Do it for your future children. For a Europe where the word “freedom” is spoken without fear. For a Poland that will never be ruled by hatred or silence.
Young people of Poland, this moment is yours. Own it. Shape it.
Be the voice that changes everything. Be the generation that could not be fooled. Be the ones who defended democracy with one simple, yet powerful act: a vote.
Because in democracy, the future is never an accident.
IT’S A DECISION.