How to complete a peace vision for Europe

OPINION:

“Peace is not simply one issue among others, but a prerequisite for the universal common good and a test of the moral maturity of peoples, especially of those who bear responsibility for governing.” (Pope Leo XIV)

Since 2014, a cold war has returned to the Euro-Atlantic area, triggered by internal conflict in Ukraine and Russian annexation of Crimea.

As political mediators within the Normandy Format for the 2015 Minsk II agreement, Germany and France ultimately did not secure its implementation. Ukraine could have remained a whole, free and democratic multiethnic state. After the 2022 invasion by Russian armed forces, the long and bloody interstate war started.

The European Union has failed to prevent or halt the conflict. It is as if there are no longer true successors to Robert Schuman, Konrad Adenauer, Alcide De Gasperi and Jean Monnet, no one embodying their political vision, attitudes and actions.

Similarly, one may ask critically what the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, a signatory to the Minsk I agreement (2014), has done for collective security and cooperation over the past dozen years.

Test of leaders’ maturity

More than 20 EU sanction packages against Russia and massive rearmament have not brought peace any closer. The consequences of war in Ukraine, like in the Middle East, are manifold and painful for ordinary citizens. The Euro-Atlantic region faces high energy prices, significant inflation, public finance deficits, national debt, economic stagnation, bankruptcies and rising migration.

Political shifts in Germany, along with social unrest and violence in France, call for a fundamental change in course.

The war in Ukraine continues to escalate. Things could get worse. Two world wars originated on the Old Continent. History does not repeat itself, but it may rhyme. It is essential to preserve the memory of nations for fostering a sense of belonging and shared responsibility. Peace, stability, security and prosperity are inextricably linked.

Yet the way out of the quagmire lies in the hands of the East and the West. The West emerged victorious in the Cold War, but it failed to secure peace. We failed to create a unified Europe — a single community encompassing all nations. Changes occurred solely through the expansion of one pole, disregarding deep-seated historical, cultural, and geopolitical realities. We have transitioned from a state of bipolarity to unipolarity.

Now, as Pax Americana draws to a close — driven by American politics itself, the rising influence of China and the formation of the BRICS — a multipolar order is emerging.

New Schuman and Marshall Plans

The principles applied by Schuman and George C. Marshall in their respective plans for peaceful cooperation and postwar reconstruction of Europe remain relevant. They should be applied again, serving as a foundation for a genuine and sustainable peace.

A dignified peace agreement is urgently needed and possible. It is essential for the nations that have long suffered from the consequences of war.

Many observers view the conflict in Ukraine as a proxy confrontation between two nuclear powers. Consequently, the U.S. and Russia could serve as the foundational protagonists for a new “Schuman Plan” focused on reconciliation, cooperation and an economic community, and a new “Marshall Plan” focused on postwar reconstruction, growth and development.

The conduct of war revolves around energy carriers and infrastructure, as well as natural resources and rare minerals.

On the basis of this strategic security and economic agenda, a qualitatively new community of the West and East could emerge. It must be open, first and foremost, to the nations of Europe, North America and Central Asia.

To some, an agreement between the U.S. and Russia might seem treacherous; to others, unimaginable; and to still others, illusory. Yet many reactions to the proposal made by France in May 1950 — to establish the European Coal and Steel Community between then “perpetual” enemies — were of a similar nature. Applying the same principles in an updated form would follow a proven path toward peace, cooperation and shared prosperity.

This deal would run counter to neither Ukraine’s interests nor the EU’s. Quite the contrary. It could facilitate the full realization of the European founding fathers’ vision: a united, whole, peaceful and prosperous Europe.

Dignified peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia

Upon such a solid foundation, a dignified peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia could then be negotiated and adopted, with the participation and support of the U.S. and EU. Such an agreement can be defined as a reality-based outcome that addresses both sides’ legitimate interests in new security, stability, normalization of relations and the reconstruction of destroyed territories and infrastructure.

It must be free from revanchism or humiliation and devoid of any grounds for future conflict. Points of agreement should include, among others:

• Return of displaced people and refugees to their homes and resolution of humanitarian needs.

• Justice, the rule of law and the protection of human rights, along with the provision of acceptable conditions for the culture, language and education of ethnic minorities, in accordance with European standards.

• Resolution of territorial issues in such a way that the areas affected by the war do not become “gray zones” unrecognized by the international community and law.

• Lifting of all sanctions adopted in relation to this conflict, which may stimulate significant economic growth.

• Establishment and launch of a European fund for the reconstruction of war-torn territories.

• Ukraine’s continued, dynamic progress toward EU integration, in accordance with standard rules and existing conditions.

• An offer from the EU to Russia of a mutually beneficial strategic partnership open to higher forms of cooperation.

The window of opportunity to embark on such a politically innovative path is open. Courage, determination and perseverance are essential for pursuing such a groundbreaking deal. Together with necessary creative and constructive effort, they constitute a “test of the moral maturity of peoples, especially of those who bear responsibility for governing.”

A positive contribution to peace and unity would benefit not only Europeans and Americans but also the whole world.

• Jan Figel is a former European commissioner, European Union special envoy and former deputy prime minister of Slovakia. He is also a key contributor to the establishment of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and the president of Forum for Religious Freedom Europe.