BarcelonaOne of the goals of the creation of the European Union was to guarantee peace and security with political and commercial ties, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made the EU bloc now also consider the military route. For the first time since the end of the Second World War, the European club is determined to gain autonomy and strength in defence, and is heading for a major rearmament. And, in addition, it aims to involve citizens more directly. In this regard, the report presented this Wednesday by the former Finnish president Sauli Niinistö with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, urges the EU to promote a “change in the civilian and military mentality” of the Europeans to be more “prepared” for the expansionism of Vladimir Putin’s regime.
The text of the former Finnish leader points out that the EU can only be “well prepared” for the various threats facing the bloc if it achieves a “more active participation of citizens” in its security. For this reason, it is committed to “sensitizing” Europeans and “empowering them” so that they are able to “take more responsibility” in this regard “individually”. So, Niinistö points out that they can acquire these “abilities” in a “voluntary or compulsory” way, and remembers that there are several EU countries that still have compulsory military service or are considering recovering it.
Along the same lines, the report presented in Brussels points out that “we must be ready for all the worst possible scenarios” and calls for “greater collaboration” between citizens, military forces and administrations to face extreme crises. And, beyond Russian expansionism, he gives examples of the coronavirus pandemic or different extreme climate phenomena, such as the DANA that affects the Valencian Country. “A greater awareness of the need to be prepared helps minimize the impact of climate change,” the text says.
Niinistö also assures that a greater capacity in the defense of the EU and military preparation of the Europeans can deter Russia from attacking the European bloc, especially with regard to hybrid attacks such as the instrumentalization of immigration or computer offensives. And, at this point, he asserts that Moscow is in the mood to attack due to the lack of opposition from the EU and asserts that Putin’s regime continues to be governed “one hundred years later” by a maxim that Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov said ( Lenin) during the Russian Civil War: If you find mash, continue. If you find iron, stop.
Niinistö also asks to “stop taking for granted the peace” in which the European Union has lived in recent years, and has recalled in a press conference that “without security” all the values, the economy and the welfare society” of the community club. For this reason, the report insists that the EU “must make a common front” in the face of the dangers faced by the different member states, such as Russian expansionism, and “coordinate” in their military needs and not act separately .
In this sense, Niinistö has called for the creation of an intelligence center on the scale of the European Union, an equivalent to the CIA of the United States. Von der Leyen, however, has ignored the request and, in fact, has not been included in the report because it is an initiative that at this time does not have a minimum consensus within the EU bloc and the member states.
A dart to the southern EU countries
The former Finnish president also takes the opportunity to throw a dart at the member states that are geographically further away from Russia and feel less close to the threat posed by Russian expansionism. He even claims that some EU partners “do not completely change their attitudes” when it comes to helping other member states even though, according to EU treaties, they are “legally and morally obliged”. In fact, the two speeds within the bloc when assessing the danger posed by Putin have long been evident and, for example, Spain, Italy or Portugal have often shown their opposition to statements by leaders of states such as Poland , the Baltics or the Nordics, which warn of a potential third world war.
In any case, Von der Leyen has thanked Niinistö for the work done, to whom he personally commissioned the report and appointed him “special adviser”. And, although the report has no practical effect in the short term and only aims to put ideas on the table, the president of the European Commission has long claimed the Finnish security model, which maintains mandatory military service, and encourages the rest of the member states and the EU to have it as an example to follow.
