Ahead of a European Council widely seen as critical, ECR Group Co-Chair Nicola Procaccini (FdI, Italy) warned that Europe must act with clarity and coordination, as ongoing peace discussions and strategic debates on Ukraine, Europe’s geo-economic outlook, defence and migration dominate the agenda.

Speaking during the European Parliament’s debate in the presence of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Procaccini stressed that supporting a just and lasting peace in Ukraine is essential, while cautioning against fragmented or unilateral initiatives that could weaken the Euro-Atlantic framework.

“It is essential that Europe works in close synergy with the American administration. What we do not need are solitary leaps forward, but rather the construction of a common strategy that guarantees Ukraine’s security and the stability of the entire Euro-Atlantic order. Peace is built through the strength of deterrence and the clarity of diplomacy,” Procaccini said.

On European defence, Procaccini argued that strengthening security requires better coordination between nations rather than further centralisation of powers at EU level, particularly when it comes to military spending.

“We need to do more, but we also need to do better. A stronger European defence does not come from centralising power, but from coordinating the efforts of nations,” he said.

Turning to migration, Procaccini defended the need for effective return policies to dismantle the criminal business of human traffickers and to safeguard the integrity of Europe’s asylum systems.

Procaccini said:

“There is also internal defence, namely the security of our borders, so that illegal immigration does not become a social time bomb, as we too often see in our cities. Today we will vote to make the return of irregular migrants simpler and more effective. This is necessary to break the criminal business of human trafficking, but it is also necessary to distinguish between those who have a right to asylum because their lives are at risk or because they can contribute to Europe’s economic growth, and those who do not have that right.

This is neither racism nor xenophobia, accusations that have been levelled against us here for years, it is simply sound common sense.”

The ECR Group Co-Chairman reiterated that security remains the foundation of all other civil rights and called on Europe’s leaders to approach the upcoming summit with realism and steadiness, combining credible support for Ukraine with stronger defence and firm but fair migration policies.

“As the great British conservative Benjamin Disraeli once said, ensuring the social security of the people is the first duty of those who govern a nation. And that is precisely what conservatives in Europe intend to do today as well,” Procaccini concluded.

Mr Procaccini’s speech reads in full:

President, President von der Leyen,

We are approaching this European Council at a crucial moment.

On Ukraine, the ECR Group welcomes the shared objective of a “just and lasting peace”. It is essential that Europe works in close synergy with the American administration. What we do not need are solitary leaps forward, but rather the construction of a common strategy that guarantees Ukraine’s security and the stability of the entire Euro-Atlantic order. Peace is built through the strength of deterrence and the clarity of diplomacy.

On defence, our position is clear: we need to do more, but we also need to do better. A stronger European defence does not come from centralising power, but from coordinating the efforts of nations, particularly when it comes to military spending.

There is also internal defence, namely the security of our borders, so that illegal immigration does not become a social time bomb, as we too often see in our cities. Today we will vote to make the return of irregular migrants simpler and more effective. This is necessary to break the criminal business of human trafficking, but it is also necessary to distinguish between those who have a right to asylum because their lives are at risk or because they can contribute to Europe’s economic growth, and those who do not have that right. This is neither racism nor xenophobia, accusations that have been levelled against us here for years, it is simply sound common sense.

As conservatives, we never forget that security is the fundamental right that enables the enjoyment of all other civil rights. It is the defence of the vulnerable: those who do not live in low-traffic zones, who return home from work at night, who take their children to the nearest public park because they cannot afford Disneyland.