Francisco Aldecoa: "The invasion of Ukraine is an aggression against the European Union"

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has provoked a firm, forceful and united response from the European Union. The aggression being suffered by a neighbouring country such as Ukraine, even though it is not a member of the EU, affects all Europeans. For this reason, and bearing in mind the consequences that this conflict will have for the continent, the war in Ukraine was given special prominence during the winter course of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoe). The event, organised in the auditorium of the Complutense University, also addressed the progress and some of the new proposals of the Conference.

Under the title 'Faced with Russian aggression in Ukraine: The Conference on the Future of Europe takes on new relevance', politicians, professors, lecturers and members of civil society analysed how this major challenge has impacted on the continent, marking a turning point within the European project and, therefore, within CoFoe itself. 

The meeting began with speeches by Francisco Aldecoa, President of the Spanish Federal Council of the European Movement; Pascual Navarro, Secretary of State for the European Union at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Eva Maydell, President of the International European Movement and MEP; Mattia de Grassi, member of the Cabinet of the Vice-President of the European Commission, in charge of Democracy and Demography; and Concepción García, Vice-Rector of the Complutense University.

As was to be expected, the current situation in Ukraine was a major focus of the participants' presentations. "The world is changing," began the video sent by Maydell, who was in Brussels. The President of the International European Movement stressed the importance of defending our values and way of life, as well as the need to overcome dependence on countries "that do not share our values", referring to Europe's strong energy dependence on Russia.

Maydell's speech also referred to Europe's "strategic autonomy", a concept that was repeated several times during the day. "The Europe of today is not the same as it was 20 years ago, it is stronger now," she concluded.

Mattia de Grassi also participated telematically and, like Maydell, focused much of his speech on Ukraine, the consequences of the invasion and the role of the EU. According to de Grassi, Brussels has responded with "unity and solidarity", recalling the almost 4 million Ukrainian refugees who have fled the war.

In this regard, he pointed out that the EU Commission was working for their integration, as well as offering psychological support. On the Future of Europe conference, de Grassi said that the project should "involve everyone, from the institutions to the citizens".   

Francisco Aldecoa then listed the objectives of the meeting. On the one hand, the progress of the Conference will be presented, analysing new proposals and the impact of CoFoe in Spain. The event also served to highlight the changes adopted by the Conference as a result of the Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The President of the Spanish Federal Council of the European Movement highlighted how the atmosphere of the Conference debates and dialogues has changed since the war began. "The invasion of Ukraine is an aggression against the European Union, against our values and rights," said Aldecoa. That is why we must act together and take responsibility.

In addition, in the wake of this flagrant violation of international law, Europe must strengthen itself, as well as "work towards federal construction and advance the European federal project". "Now is an opportunity to make progress on this issue," Aldecoa added. 

The speech by Pascual Navarro, Secretary of State for the European Union, was along the same lines. "The pandemic and the war on Europe's borders should make us reflect on the future of the European Union," he said. However, Navarro also pointed out that the EU "has shown that in times of crisis it has become stronger, something that many did not expect". The diplomat reiterated the Spanish government's condemnation of Russian aggression, as well as the country's response of solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

On the other hand, with regard to the future of Europe, Navarro highlighted a series of challenges facing the continent, such as energy supply, territorial imbalances and the current Ukrainian refugee crisis. 

The introductory part of the event was concluded by Concepción García, Vice Rector of the Complutense University, who, like the previous speakers, focused her speech on the situation in Ukraine. "The European Union is acting in a coordinated and firm manner", she stressed, alluding to the humanitarian aid to Ukraine and the economic sanctions against Russia.

The vice-rector recalled the Madrid university's commitment to Europe. "The Complutense has traditionally been linked to Europe. Today it continues to support Erasmus exchanges and also stresses that knowledge is the key to resolving conflicts," she said. Finally, she read out a communiqué signed by the Spanish universities in which they conveyed their support for the Ukrainian educational establishments. 

Francisco Aldecoa took stock of the progress of the CoFoe, which will end on 9 May. From the political scientist's point of view, the weight given to citizens' representatives has been excessive in comparison with the role of civil society. There are 8 representatives of civil society compared to 80 representatives of citizens. In this sense, Aldecoa recalled the importance of civil society in the construction of Europe and in the creation of major and important reforms.

Despite the challenges, Aldecoa admitted that the current circumstances have provoked "a majority will to plan a joint reform". The President of the Spanish Federal Council of the European Movement expressed his hope of reaching an agreement on 9 May, which coincides with Europe Day. 

"The war has sent shockwaves through the Conference. We have responded with cohesion, and I trust and hope that in the end we will achieve our objective in moving the European Union forward," he added.

Once the progress and some of the challenges of the CoFoe had been presented, some of the proposals for the future of Europe were discussed. Participants in this first round table included Belén Becerril, Deputy Director of the Royal University Institute of European Studies and Professor of European Union Law; Jesús Lahera, Professor of Labour Economics at the UCM; Alberto Navarro, diplomat and Spanish and EU ambassador; and Juan Enrique Gallo, member of the Spanish Youth Council.

Firstly, Belén Becerril proposed the reduction of the individual veto, replacing it with a collective veto encompassing several countries. On the other hand, she presented three proposals related to European citizenship: removing obstacles to free movement and residence, extending suffrage to European citizens living in an EU country and promoting education focused on Europe.

Jesús Lahera focused on employment and the economy and proposed a European minimum wage and European collective bargaining. With regard to the first point, there are already procedures in place to draw up these, an aspect that Lahera considers to be "a very important step". The professor also put forward the idea of a European trade union movement, as well as a European-level employers' representation.

Diplomat Alberto Navarro called for further strengthening of the European diplomatic foreign service, which has 146 delegations around the world. To this end, Navarro proposed a European diplomatic academy. In this respect, the ambassador also proposed the creation of a European intelligence centre and a European military academy.

On the economic front, Navarro stressed the need to strengthen the international role of the euro, as well as the establishment of a European development bank. Finally, the ambassador offered an innovative idea for European pensioners. Navarro presented the "Erasmus of the 3rd age", an idea based on the Spanish imserso. 

During the round of questions, the diplomat backed an increase in defence spending, a step already taken by European governments such as Germany. "Defence spending is not to make war, but to prevent it, to defend our values," he concluded.

The first round table was closed by Juan Enrique Gallo, a member of the Spanish Youth Council, who stressed the role of young Europeans, "the leaders of the future". Gallo spoke of a generation that is "quite critical", an aspect that is reflected in the demonstrations against climate change and in the feminist struggle.

According to Gallo, young people are working to make certain problems visible, many of which are cyclical and affect all generations. Currently, one of the continent's greatest challenges is the democratic challenge. For this reason, Gallo advocates welcoming people who are looking for a better life, something that would also help us to maintain our model of life.