The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, delivered his speech at the summit of the European Political Community.
Costa stated that Europe must invest more in its defense, otherwise peace remains an illusion.
From the war in Ukraine to the Middle East, the EC President called for unity to bring about a just and lasting peace.
" The title of today's meeting is indeed apt, 'A New Europe in a New World'. And I believe that this is the main issue of this summit. So, what is Europe? What is its role in this new world?
After World War II, we built a new world order, based on the UN Charter, international law, and international and trade cooperation.
Russian aggression against Ukraine has brought great war to the European continent once again. This war is an attack on the international community, on all the principles that we hold dear.
The situation in Gaza is a humanitarian tragedy, national rights are being violated, people are being attacked with force.
We have promoted human rights, issues that can only be advanced if we cooperate collectively. The multilateral order continues to be attacked and continuously. We must be united and Europe must succeed in bringing a just and lasting peace to Ukraine. We know, dear Volodymyr, that your security is also ours. Europe must invest more in its defense because we have learned that peace without defense is an illusion, Europe must create the right conditions for peace in the Middle East, because if we do not do this, the security of Europe and its neighbors, but also its authority, will be undermined. Europe must succeed in expanding global trade networks. We must not give in to the temptation of protectionism but must have partnerships and avoid a zero-sum mentality. The new EU will be a reliable partner for European integration but also for cooperation on energy, security and defense , "said Costa.