The struggle for peace and democracy can have no cost, but we must pay for it. This was the common finding of the participants in the discussion organized by the Institute of Democracy Konstantinos Karamanlis and the Martens Center for European Studies, in the context of the 7th Delphi Economic Forum.
As European People’s Party Secretary General Antonio Lopez-Isturiz White put it, “there will be a price for Europe from the conflict with Putin. In order to defend our core principles and values, we are determined to pay for it, as already “The union has appeared determined and ready to take tough but also difficult decisions.”
He emphasized that the decision to invade Europe was as divisive in Russia as in Putin, but said that it was even more important now with the crisis over Russia.
As for the challenges of the next day, he said “we must rebuild Ukraine after the war and work with the democratic opposition in Russia.”
The EPP Secretary General also praised the role of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who he said was at the forefront of the fight against totalitarianism and in favor of peace and democracy, supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion.
ND Serres MP and party’s international relations secretary, Tassos Hadjivassiliou, argued that “Europe needs a strong defense policy that works in addition to NATO”. He emphasized the importance of the text of the Compass Strategy on the future of Europe, so that the EU would no longer be an economic bloc with a weak geopolitical footprint, but would form a geostrategic footprint commensurate with its economic one.
The director of the Open Society Foundations, Daniela Schwarzer, found that the way the EU views the crisis is a struggle for freedom on our continent, not just a war in Ukraine. “Putin works the way he announced, it’s no surprise. For decades our societies took security, stability, peace in Europe for granted, because we had a partner, Russia. That is no longer the case.”
The head of International Relations at the Konstantinos Karamanlis Institute for Democracy, Panagiotis Kakolyris, noted that a war was unfortunately needed to bring to the surface the importance and necessity of the EU in ensuring peace and democracy on our continent. “One war gave birth to the European idea, another war makes the substantive debate on promoting European integration even more urgent. It has become clear to our generations that peace and democracy are not a given, we need constant efforts to stay alive. “. He said that the current crisis could prove to be a catalyst for the course of the EU, as it turned out that policies that seemed unthinkable a few years ago were not only adopted, but also implemented. He expressed the hope that after the end of the war, the EU and its citizens will continue to see the big picture for the future of the Union.
Source: Capital
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