French President Emmanuel Macron has called for the creation of a new “European political community” that will include countries such as Ukraine that want to join the European Union (EU), but its accession process could take years. Macron and the head of the European Commission, Ursula van der Leyen, were in favor of amending the union’s agreements to end the need for a consensus on issues such as security or foreign policy.
At the end of a conference on the future of Europe in the European Parliament, the French head of state proposed that the “European political community” be a “new area of political cooperation, security and energy cooperation.” But, “especially young people”. After all, it is designed for countries that have ceased to be “under the yoke of the Soviet Union” and are now liberal democracies.
For Macron, this would be the most appropriate formula to deepen the good relations between the Union and Ukraine. “The EU cannot be the only way to rebuild the European continent in the short term,” the French leader warned.
“Ukraine, by its courage and its struggle, is already a member of our family. It is a member of the heart,” Macron continued. “But even if he is given candidate status tomorrow [a aderir à UE]We all know that this process can take years and, honestly, decades. This is the reality, “he said.
Dealing with Russia “without the spirit of revenge”
Despite his condemnation of Russia’s “unspeakable crimes” in Ukraine, the French president again accepted constructive speech toward Vladimir Putin’s government, contrary to the US position from the beginning of the invasion.
“We are not at war with Russia,” Macron recalled, while reaffirming his commitment to continue supporting the Ukrainians. When peace returns, it will be necessary to “create a new security balance” in Europe, but not to allow Russia’s “shame” desires or “spirit of revenge”.
“In the past, these sentiments have already eroded the path to peace,” he said of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. The document in question blamed Germany for the First World War and forced the country to pay severe compensation. Contributed to the creation of a hatred among the conquerors and the Germans that facilitated the Nazi uprising.
More European integration
Emmanuel Macron was also in favor of amending the European treaties: “We must reform our texts, it is clear,” he said in his first public speech after the re-election. “One of the avenues for this reform is to convene a treaty review conference. This is a proposal of the European Parliament that I support,” the French president stressed.
A few minutes ago, Ursula van der Leyen, in his speech, already stressed the need to carry out these reforms. The head of the commission showed that he was ready to “change the agreements if necessary” and thus linked himself with Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, arguing last week in the European Parliament that the EU should deepen integration. Member states toward a “practical federation”.
One of the goals of Macron, van der Leyen and Drake is to end the obligation of member states to reach unanimous decisions on issues such as foreign policy, security or taxation. The possibility is at the table that only a qualified majority is needed to discuss the above matters.
PS Previews “lively discussion”; “Costa doesn’t appreciate it,” says Rangel
PS MEP Point Pedro Silva Perera told JN that the “new institutional framework for European integration” announced by Macron “will certainly be an exciting discussion in the future”. Paulo Rangel of PSD recalled that this idea was “not a new thing”.
According to the Social Democrats, even before Brexit, the EU has been discussing the division of member states into three circles according to the level of integration; The latter will be countries that are not yet member states. However, creating a new company is a new trick, he agreed.
When asked about the implications of a possible amendment to the treaty, Silva Perera acknowledged that this would mean “greater integration” in Europe. “The fundamental problem is to prevent decision-making processes based on consensus rule, which must form the general rule of a competent majority,” he explained.
“We know there is opposition in the Council on behalf of many countries,” he said, adding that “the most important thing is for the EU to find a way to make decisions more effectively. The Lisbon Treaty makes the decision-making process more flexible.”
For JN, Rangel’s interesting observation is only possible because the Prime Minister sat “six or seven rows behind” during the Strasbourg session: when Macron and Van der Ley talked about withdrawing EU agreements, Antonio Costa “did not” applaud “once.” The MEP hopes that the PM’s approach will address some of the issues facing the PS on this issue.
Rangel argued that the EU currently has “residual” capabilities in terms of safety or health. However he acknowledged that their numbers were not enough to defeat Lukashenko’s government, and said that it would “push hard” to ensure that the reforms were implemented.