ROMÂNĂ 
ENGLISH VERSION 
At the opening of the proceedings of the EIRP 2025 International Conference, organized under the auspices of the Danubius International University, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Andy Pușcă, President of the Board of Directors, delivered a highly significant inaugural speech, emphasizing the essential role of universities in promoting an open and responsible dialogue in the context of current challenges. In his address, he highlighted the need for clear and courageous reflection, especially in a Europe facing significant changes and tensions.
Below, we present the full speech delivered by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Andy Pușcă at the opening of the EIRP 2025 Conference:
"At Danubius, we are not merely opening a conference. We are opening a reflection.
We are creating a space for lucidity, in a Europe that urgently needs clarity and courage.
We are in Galați – a border city. Between nations. Between histories. Between challenges.
Just a few kilometers away, a war is being fought. A war that we feel not only in the news but also in our hearts. This context cannot be ignored. It compels us.
It compels us to talk about Europe. Not just as a geographical or economic space.
But as a human and moral project. It compels us to discuss extremism, fear, polarization – and the role we, universities, have in keeping the horizon of democracy, dialogue, and free thinking open.
EIRP 2025, therefore, is more than an academic event. It is a call.
To responsibility. To coherence. To intellectual solidarity.
In a world of noise, we choose reflection.
In a world of fragmentation, we choose integration.
In a world of automation, we choose to remain profoundly human.
It is a historic transition. And at Danubius, we choose to be actors in this change, not spectators. We choose to form students who know how to think, not just run commands. We choose to remain connected to social realities, not isolated in sterile theories.
Romania is part of a Europe in crisis. But also part of a Europe in reconstruction. And our university, born from the vision of one man and nurtured through the work of a team, reaffirms its mission today: to be a bridge. Between generations. Between disciplines. Between East and West.
I would like to thank the organizers, researchers, guests from both the country and abroad, but especially my colleagues and our students, who give meaning to this daily work.
Universities cannot stop wars.
But they can form the generation that will build peace."
The intervention of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Andy Pușcă provided a relevant conceptual framework for the conference proceedings, marking the beginning of a valuable exchange of ideas between researchers, academics, and practitioners from various fields. Thus, the 2025 edition of the EIRP Conference is shaping up to be a landmark in the regional and international academic landscape.
Claudia Ștefania Marghiru
