The ECR Group said that Europe would be well advised to abandon ideological comfort and to embrace pragmatic responsibility in the face of a harsher geopolitical reality.

Speaking in today’s plenary debate on the conclusions of last December’s European Council, ECR Co-Chairman Nicola Procaccini said that recognising reality also means acknowledging that the Union must learn the lessons of recent crises, from migration to Russia’s war against Ukraine, and must now build the strength required to shape its own future. He underlined that the Union’s place is firmly anchored in NATO.

Turning to Europe’s position in the West, Procaccini argued, with a pointed aside on French President Emmanuel Macron’s appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, that credibility is earned through strength, not imitation or showmanship.

“Frankly, I do not believe that wearing Top Gun sunglasses will earn us greater respect from the United States. We can earn it only through our geopolitical solidity, our economic competitiveness, sovereignty over raw materials, and an efficient and technologically advanced military defence,” he said.

Procaccini added that the latest European Council already shows the first signs of a more realistic European approach:

“Europe is finally emerging from its ideological ‘bubble’ and beginning to measure itself against the harshness of reality,” he said.

He pointed to migration and Ukraine as concrete examples of this shift:

“On migration, the agreement on safe third countries for returns is a victory for common sense. We are starting to take the governance of migration away from human traffickers and from the uncertainty of judicial interpretations, and to bring it back where it belongs: within the sphere of political responsibility,” he said.

On Ukraine, Procaccini reaffirmed the ECR Group’s steadfast support for continued assistance to a nation resisting Russian aggression, stressing that Europe’s own security is at stake. He said:

“We will continue to support a people who have been heroically resisting the cowardly Russian invasion for four years. We are not doing this only for the Ukrainians; we are doing it for ourselves as well. Because if Russia were to achieve its objectives, all European nations would be in danger:”

Finally, Procaccini stressed that Europe’s true strength lies in the transatlantic community as a shared civilisation of freedom.

“Our strength as Europeans lies in the transatlantic community. Only within it do we remain masters of our own destiny,” he said.

ENDS

Proaccini’s speech reads in full:

Madame President, President Costa, President von der Leyen,

The conclusions of the latest European Council present us with a clear picture: Europe is finally emerging from its ideological “bubble” and beginning to measure itself against the harshness of reality.

On migration, the agreement on safe third countries for returns is a victory for common sense. We are starting to take the governance of migration away from human traffickers and from the uncertainty of judicial interpretations, and to bring it back where it belongs: within the sphere of political responsibility. This shows that when Europe stops preaching and starts acting with pragmatism, results follow.

On Ukraine, the €90 billion loan was an act of responsibility. We will continue to support a people who have been heroically resisting the cowardly Russian invasion for four years. We are not doing this only for the Ukrainians; we are doing it for ourselves as well. Because if Russia were to achieve its objectives, all European nations would be in danger. If any nation were free to seize neighbouring nations by force, the peace that has settled on our continent after the devastating wars recorded in our history books would be at risk.

I know what you are thinking: what applies in the East must also apply in the West. I agree. That is why we Conservatives will continue to support the unity of the West — not as a mere geographical space, but as a civilisation, with its flaws and contradictions, but also with its culture of freedom. Frankly, I do not believe that wearing Top Gun sunglasses will earn us greater respect from the United States. We can earn it only through our geopolitical solidity, our economic competitiveness, sovereignty over raw materials, and an efficient and technologically advanced military defence.

Our strength as Europeans lies in the transatlantic community. Only within it do we remain masters of our own destiny.