President of the European Council compares the accession of the country invaded by Russia to the process of Portugal’s entry into the EEC and highlights that both parties will have to work “more and faster”
The President of the European Council, António Costa, considers that the entry of the NA is an “urgency” to guarantee “lasting peace throughout Europe”.
In an exclusive interview with CNN Portugal, the former prime minister compares the conditions under which Portugal joined the then European Economic Community (EEC) with those that the invaded country is currently facing. “Just as what was at stake in the 70s and 80s in relation to Greece, Portugal and Spain was the consolidation of young democracies that had emerged from periods of dictatorship, especially the Portuguese, what is at stake today is security and the lasting defense of Europe”.
This is “a geopolitical investment of the greatest importance”, reinforces Costa, adding that enlargement will have “many difficulties” along the way because of the “technical nature of the discussion”. “We obviously cannot lower the standards and what is required of each person, but this notion that it is a geopolitical investment what has to give us is a sense of urgency”.
“And that means taking a big step towards enlarging the Western Balkans and our Eastern neighbors, namely Ukraine, Moldova and perhaps Georgia if we remain willing”, states the President of the European Council, adding that “this sense of urgency means that, whether on the EU side or on the side of the candidate countries, we have to work harder and faster than before to achieve a result”.
The main issue, he says, is not the deadline in which Ukraine will be able to join the European bloc, but the “irreversible decision” itself and the “concrete steps in the desired direction”. “Whether it’s in four years or five years, that’s not essential”, he highlights. “What is essential is for all of us to feel that this is a journey that we are taking, on a fair and credible basis, and that we are all making the effort to make this future enlargement a success again.” This is “essential to guarantee lasting peace throughout Europe”.
Costa’s statements come as the president of the European Council prepares to meet the Ukrainian president and the NATO secretary general in Brussels. The meeting, which should take place next week, has at the center of its agenda the development of a plan to maintain peace after a possible ceasefire.
