European Council President Antonio Costa said today that Europe's security must be rooted in a revitalized European Union (EU) enlargement and a strong partnership for peace, stability and security, underlining the importance of EU defense and competitiveness as "two sides of the same coin."
In a speech on peace and security in Europe, at the European Research Institute in Florence, Košta emphasized that enlargement today is the best geopolitical investment the EU can make for a stronger, safer and more democratic Europe, reports the Daily European Service.
"We must be ready - politically, institutionally and financially, to welcome new members like Ukraine, the Western Balkan countries and Georgia, if they want to. That will require reforms. On both sides. But it is necessary," said Košta.
He added that there is no turning back on this path and that the EU must prepare for this strategic step forward.
Košta also said that the EU became a peace project not because it avoided politics, but because it transformed it - at the local, regional and national levels, and between European countries.
According to him, for decades the European project has brought what political theorists call a peace dividend - economic growth, open borders, the rule of law and, above all, stability.
"From the Iberian Peninsula to the Baltics, from the Western Balkans to Central Europe, nations have sought or are seeking membership (in the EU) not only for trade, but for the promise of peace and democratic consolidation," Košta pointed out.
He also said that the EU must align economic stimulus with geopolitical priorities, including energy, defense and the digital agenda, as well as advocate for European projects in areas such as green technology, semiconductors and defense innovation.
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