The White Dove Way – Proposal for an EU-led Global Peace-building strategy (own-initiative opinion)

Key points

The EESC considers there is no better moment in the history of European integration for the EU to lead the way by charting a new direction for peace-building worldwide.

The EESC presents The WhiteDoveWay, a metaphorical and physical route map pointing the way forward, focusing on conflict prevention, civil society involvement, and effective communication using education and information, and a European Path of Peace to physically engage citizens so they are included and empowered in the EU peace process.

The EESC calls for the new EU budget to devote greatly increased funds to conflict prevention in all EU external relations peace programmes.

The EESC strongly recommends greater involvement of civil society in the decision-making process.

The EESC calls for a serious communication effort to promote the role of education and information to deliver the EU peace-building story.

To actively engage citizens, the EESC proposes a path of peace go through places of former war and conflict, and a "virtual" trail offering a high-tech history book of the EU journey encouraging the EU values of respect, tolerance and mutual understanding.

The EESC urges the EU to create a new Global Peace-building Strategy with three strands:
conflict prevention, civil society, coherence; Information, Communication, Education (ICE);  European path of peace.