Europe must strive to invest in its defence and security while also preserving its social model. Financial trade-offs might be needed due to geopolitical challenges that require us to rethink European priorities. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) can facilitate honest social dialogue on the EU’s new needs.

The EESC’s April plenary session addressed EU foreign policy in view of the new geopolitical climate and complex and growing threats for Europe. In this context, the EESC is stepping in as a partner grounded in social and democratic dialogue.

EESC President Oliver Röpke stressed: ‘The EESC will continue to ensure that citizens’ concerns shape concrete policies that protect our social model and reinforce Europe’s role on the global stage. Europe must take greater responsibility for its own security and defence in a rapidly changing world.’

The debate incorporated input from the EESC’s ad hoc group on the new geopolitical order, which was represented by Elena Calistru, Winand Quaedvlieg and Sophia Reisecker. The group’s paper reflects on the cost of maintaining Europe’s strategic autonomy, which is imperative for strengthening the EU’s resilience.

The debate highlighted the fact that these new geopolitical challenges could lead to new opportunities and beneficial cooperation among EU Member States. The Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Security and Defence, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, stressed how important it was for Member States to work together on joint defence procurement.

Iratxe García Pérez, head of the European Parliament’s Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, warned against negotiating on EU values and encouraged European citizens to defend truth and the rule of law.

In his statement, Fabian Zuleeg, Chief Executive and Chief Economist at the European Policy Centre, cautioned against ‘falling into the progress illusion’, explaining that Europe had not done enough to prevent a future war, including ‘Russian boots in the Baltic states’. To address this, Pierre Haroche, Associate Researcher of Defence at the Jacques Delors Institute, called for new defence coordination in Europe, as ‘we have no NATO to defend Ukraine’. (at)