A European Confederation: a common political platform for peace

Ukraine has filed its application to join the EU. Brussels and the other European capitals […]

25/04/2022

Ukraine has filed its application to join the EU. Brussels and the other European capitals have encouraged its ambition eagerly. Recently, Italian leading newspaper Corriere della Sera featured an interview by Prime Minister Mario Draghi recalling the significance of the self-determination of the Ukrainian people. People who chose the ‘ultimate’ referendum – between life and death – not to succumb to Russian invasion while willing to be part of a united Europe.

I agree with PM Draghi’s words. The primary goal is peace, with real negotiations, leading to end the hostilities. Leaving the door open for Ukraine and other Eastern countries with the same ambition for freedom and democracy is the right thing to do. Downplaying the complexity of this process is wrong however.

EU accession is far from easy. There are many backlogs in order to meet the required standards.  Furthermore, a new enlargement could have an impact on the EU and its institutions that is difficult to be assessed as we write. 

After ’89, things proceeded without a clear steer. First, it was time for great promises and expectations; years and years of let-downs have then followed; finally, a phase of full-throttle acceleration. The result? Resentment in some – the newcomers – and mistrust in others – the old members. The subsequent events in Hungary, Poland and the Visegrád group have proved it.

Hence, my appeal to all of us is: avoid making the same mistakes. We should immediately create a European Confederation, consisting of the 27 EU member states, plus Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. This would have a twofold result. On the one hand, Ukraine, and the other countries lining-up to join the EU, could participate in the European public life and have their say in a common political platform and share the same strategic space. At the same time, the path to EU membership would continue unchanged in parallel, with appropriate timing.

The most tangible display of this model would be the meetings of the European Councils, which should be immediately followed by the Summit of the Confederation’s leaders – in the same place and embodying great symbolic force.

In the past, the choices that were made have overcomplicated things. Back then, the Central and Eastern European countries vocally expressed their willingness to be part of the European Community, later the European Union. The response was prompt and affirmative, as it has been the case today for Ukraine. It was the force of History, leading towards openness. However, the idealistic charge made us lose sight of the practical implications. The process proceeded amidst great rhetorical commitments and a plan of individual paths and bilateral relations, without assessing possible implications.

The operation did not go as smooth as expected. The complexity of an operation that doubled the number of member states and transformed the Union’s features emerged quite immediately. In the course of this tortuous path, it was not possible, for example, to reform the decision-making process, nor abolish the veto power that exists in too many areas.

It took decades to complete the enlargement. Public opinion became hostile to it. It was thanks to the Romano Prodi Commission’s resolution that the process was completed.

The choice was appropriate: last weeks’ events – as well as the History of nations that have always been exposed to attempts of being subjugated or dominated – confirm how important it was to succeed in that enlargement. Nevertheless, we had rather avoided focusing only on the quickest entry to the EU; our focus should have been also on building a more ambitious architecture from the outset. All these actions were supposed to make two complementary needs coexistent: instant political sharing and progressive adaptation to the policies.

The European Confederation would be the place for political dialogue between the 36 participants. Common choices would be agreed upon together. The ability to define shared global strategies would be refined, starting with the defence of peace, security, the promotion of a fair and sustainable development model and the fight against climate change. The Confederation would give strength, including symbolic strength, to the unity of the Continent.

The Confederation would be an immediate response to millions of people looking at the EU with hope that we are all in the same ‘European family’. At the same time, this idea should go hand in hand with deeper integration within the EU, abolishing the veto power in those strategic areas still functioning in an intergovernmental way. The Confederation then is a new way to address the widening of the Union, while still pushing for its deepening towards a federal architecture.      

For Europe this is the time of when in trouble go big. The convulsions of these dramatic days shouldn’t blind us to the big picture, nor lose clarity in predicting the future consequences of the choices we make today. 24 February 2022 – the day when Putin’s invasion attempted to take us all back to the worst period of the Twentieth century – is a watershed marking an epoch-making transition.

Tomorrow’s Europe will be different, no matter what. That is why it is vital to lead the change and not to be driven by events, starting with the determination to turn the European Union into a pacific area that is building peace.

Europe is our home: it is so attractive that millions and millions of foreign citizens wish to join it. It is something so precious that its reformation and consolidation become historic duty – perhaps the most challenging ever faced by our generations.

This article was originally published in the Corriere della Sera.

Photo credits: SergeiIT/shutterstock.com

Find all related publications
Publications
14/09/2023

SDGs for all: Strategic scenarios

Earth4All system dynamics modelling of SDG progress
24/08/2023

Montenegro’s political transition. From Djukanović to where?

Balkan Focus policy brief series
24/08/2023

Embracing the Western Balkan countries’ EU accession process. A vital question mark of the EU

Balkan Focus policy brief series
17/07/2023

Lula’s new government

Prospects for Brazilian foreign policy and relations with the EU
Find all related events
Events
Upcoming
26/10/2023
Brussels, Belgium (Hybrid)

The rise of political entrepreneurs in Europe

Next Left lecture IV
Past
08/09/2023
Geneva, Switzerland (Expert meeting)

For a New Global Deal

The current global order is under a larger-scale transformation: existential challenges emerging for all humankind, […]
27/09/2023
FEPS HQ, Brussels

‘Europe and the war in Ukraine’ book launch

More than one year and a half after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, when emotional fatigue […]
Find all related news
News
14/09/2023

FEPS President at the SDG Summit and United Nations General Assembly in New York

FEPS President Maria João Rodrigues is in New York this week on the occasion of […]
12/09/2023

Call for tender – Research and analysis for the project “Progressive paths to rebuild Ukraine”

Basic Information Project Research “In search of a ‘lost generation’. Harnessing youth potential for post-war […]
19/07/2023

President Lula da Silva meets with FEPS and Plataforma CIPÓ

The Brazilian President was present in Brussels in the context of the EU-CELAC Summit
29/06/2023

Friends of the Western Balkans’ statement

Thessaloniki, 24 June 2023 We, the network of the Friends of the Western Balkans, representatives […]
Find all related in the media
In the media

‘SDG funding gap swells to $137trn’ New Policy Study from FEPS, together with Earth4All, to deliver a five-point plan for the SDGs.

by Edie 19/09/2023
The “SDGs for All” report emphasises that policymakers have the potential to significantly advance SDG implementation by the original 2030 deadline and beyond by enacting five “extraordinary turnarounds” that break away from current trends.

Un nuevo informe de prospectiva identifica las medidas políticas urgentes necesarias para volver a encarrilar los ODS

by Cope 14/09/2023
'New foresight report identifies urgent policy measures needed to get the SDGs back on track' Cope's article on the policy study 'SDGs for all: Strategic scenarios', published in collaboration with Earth4All

Borko Stefanović: Odmah usaglasiti spoljnu politiku sa EU i napraviti od Srbije dobro i sigurno mesto za život

by Danas 26/06/2023
Borko Stefanović, deputy president of the Freedom and Justice Party, participated in the international meeting in Thessaloniki organized by FEPS, the Friends of the Western Balkans and FES

Ukrainian economy and society: whither the (postwar) country?

by Commons 16/06/2023
In Commons' article, Yuliya Yurchenko, co-author of FEPS’ book 'Europe and the war in Ukraine', outlines the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine for the Ukrainian population and the plans needed for Ukraine's recovery.