EU Presidency
“The more security and
stability there is on our borders, the safer and better off Europe itself is.”
Photo: D oja Gunda Barysait /president.lt
Dalia Grybauskaité
The European Union has to be credible, human, secure and open
Increased stability and prosperity on the entire continent by Dalia Grybauskaité, President of the Republic of Lithuania /Presidency of the Council of the EU, Vilnius/Brussels
Almost a year ago, the European Union received the Nobel Peace Prize for its contribution to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe. During its Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Lithuania seeks to mobilise the support of member states, European institutions and, indeed, all Europeans for a credible, open and growing Europe that not only provides security and welfare for its citizens, but also promotes democracy and stability in the world. This is why the December European Council – the first European Council to address the issues of security and defence in five years – is so important. We must strengthen our security and defence cooperation in times of protracted debt crisis, slow economic growth and high unemployment by means of more cooperation based on pooling and sharing of resources between member states and on smart development of the capabilities that Europe requires. We must also realise that the security situation in Europe closely depends on the situation in our neighbourhood – the more security and stability there is on our borders, the safer and better off Europe itself is. The European Union is a unique project. No other international player possesses such a variety of political, economic and social instruments to promote democratic development and
political stability across the world, while the full potential of Europe’s “soft power” is often underestimated. This is why the European Union’s Eastern Partnership Summit to be held in November in Vilnius is so important. Europe must reach out to its partners not only for closer economic and trade ties, but also for increased stability and prosperity on the entire continent. The world today is less stable, more complex and less predictable than it was ten years ago. A whole spectrum of new threats, including cyber, energy, informational, environmental, and humanitarian has now emerged which requires constant attention and action. But Europe has consistently proven its ability to adapt to new risks and challenges; but to be able to address them in an effective and efficient way, we must look for possibilities for working closely with our neighbours, partners and other international players that share our goals and values. This is why we must seize the opportunity to discuss new challenges and our cooperation with partners not only at the Vilnius Summit, but also in the European Council, which, will be addressing the issues of European security and defence. This will also empower Europe to continue advancing the important goals it received the Nobel Peace Prize for – peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe and beyond its borders.
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