Costa: Peace is not a passive condition – we must build it, and we can

Brussels – “Let us not doubt about our economic power. What we have to do is to link our economic capacity to our security ambition.” Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, spoke this morning at the European University Institute of Florence event on peace and security in Europe.

According to the Portuguese politician, this step “project the European Union as a more influential geopolitical actor. Active in neighborhood regions to build sustainable peace. As an active promoter of dialogue and cooperation. In the Middle East. In the Caucasus. In Africa.”

Costa cautioned that “Peace is not a passive condition. It is an active project. One that must be renewed in each generation. The European Union was built on the ruins of war, not merely to prevent another one, but to build something better. This is Europe’s moment to remember why it was created and to rise to the occasion once more.”

The 27 members of the Union have “an attractive power to many others who want to join us. We are a trade powerhouse with a responsibility to take in the stability of international relations. The world needs Europe for peace and prosperity” and what has been built over these decades is “a model of trust among those who are part of the project. A project for peace for the regions where we are engaged. And a project of shared prosperity with ramifications around the world.”

“This is what we need to defend. This is the way forward to pursue. Inspired by Gramsci, with an optimism of the will to defeat the pessimism of the reason. For the future of our Union. For a Europe of peace,” Costa concluded.