The Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24 has posed many challenges and has opened many unknowns about the near future. First of all, the future of Ukraine and Ukrainian men and women. But also Where and in what way is the new global order articulated? that, surely, will come out of this terrible war. In a very special way, from this latitude, the course taken by the European Union. In fact, the answers, procedures and instruments that are articulated and approved in these days will define what type of Union is to be built and in what direction it is desired to advance.
After three long weeks of war, various decisions have been taken by the European institutions and all of them converge in the adoption of unanimous and undivided positions. The adoption of the toughest sanctions packages in history against Russia is perhaps the most significant. Sanctions of a financial nature were the first, blocking access to some Russian banking entities in the Swift system, as well as part of the assets of the Russian Central Bank. Subsequently, those of an economic and commercial nature have also been incorporated, as well as all kinds of prohibitions that include the closure of European airspace for Russian airlines or the suspension of activities of the Russian ‘outlets’ Sputnik and Russia Today throughout the community space .
With all this unfolding Borrell marked the beginning of a new era, that of Geopolitical Europe. The truth is that never before in the history of European integration have such relevant decisions been adopted that have such an impact on the very nature of the EU in such a short time. We cannot know if the high representative is right or wrong and now is the time for that Europe that walks firmly in the international sphere and speaks the language of power. What we can say, for the moment, is that these decisions have not been adopted as the result of a process of strategic analysis on which the European project of the future must walk, but that they have been based on fear caused by the presence of a war in the European periphery. And, therefore, they are decisions that, on the one hand, want to punish Russia for its aggression, but, on the other, are absolutely reactive and non-strategic.
Poland pressures Brussels to launch a European enlargement process that is exclusively driven on geopolitical and security bases
In fact, most of the movements that are observed these days have to do with the impulse of fear more than with the reflection in relation to how to build that much hyped strategic autonomy. Now all the member states are going together, however, the potential impact that the sanctions are going to have on societies can have cracks appear in this apparent unity.
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This war has also caused the focus to be diverted from issues that are essential pillars on which the European integration process has been articulated, such as those that refer to the defense of the rule of lawas we have been able to see with the lifting of the suspension of fines and penalties who were on the march to countries like Poland. This lax position at a time of emergency, however, has once again emboldened the Morawieckis and Kaczyńskis to go to kyiv/Kyiv, in the company of their Slovenian colleagues, Jansaand czech Phiala, who have not hesitated, at their own risk, to mark the path that the EU must follow in relation to Ukraine. Always, of course, regardless of the criteria of the rest of the European partners.
With this risky and symbolic trip, Poland wants to show Ukraine’s European path with the aim of putting pressure on Brussels to launch a European enlargement process that it be promoted exclusively on geopolitical and security bases, hidden behind moral appeals of dubious ethics that they intend to put the rest of the partners on the ropes. Europe is going to have to decide where to steer the course, more language of power and geopolitics, more reinforcement of the rule of law and of the democracies already very affected after the tremendous crises we have experienced in recent years.