Speech to the European Council by Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament

  European Parliament / The President
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"The crisis in the Crimea represents a massive threat to the security system we have developed in Europe in the wake of the Cold War. After last Sunday's illegal referendum in the Crimea, it is not yet clear what the full consequences for Ukraine are. European borders recognised under international law have already been redrawn in response to outside pressure. For the first time in Europe since the end of the Cold War, a State has used force to annex part of another State. Russia has broken international law. That is unacceptable. We must treat the Crimea crisis as a wake-up call, one which prompts us to rethink our European Neighbourhood Policy and our relations with Russia. We must at long last develop a coherent strategy towards Russia.

The message that I, as President of the European Parliament, want to give you today is that the prevailing emotion in Europe is fear. Whilst some businessmen fear a spiral of sanctions, which could leave them with very thin order books, and workers fear for their jobs, in particular in the countries which are Ukraine’s neighbours, in Poland and the Baltic States, people fear the outbreak of a new Cold War.

For the first time since the end of the Cold War people in the EU fear for their security. That fear is justified, and has been fuelled by the ever more aggressive rhetoric of the past few weeks. People are asking themselves questions: will the European family stick together and, if the worst comes to the worst, guarantee our security? Will governments manage to put differing national interests aside, or are those differing interests creating dissension in the European family and thus preventing it from adopting a common stance?

In recent weeks we have witnessed how what was seen as nothing more than a regional conflict is prompting Russia to marshal tanks and troops in the Crimea, how NATO is on the alert, how the USA is moving military equipment to Europe and NATO countries are offering guarantees of support, and how European foreign ministers are dashing from one crisis meeting to the next. And today you will discuss the possibility of more punitive sanctions. Last week the European Parliament adopted its proposals for appropriate measures. It is important that we in the European Union should speak with one voice in sending the following message: what is happening in Ukraine is unacceptable and must never be repeated anywhere.

At the same time we must be careful not to ‘sleepwalk’ into an ever escalating conflict, to repeat the word the Australian historian Christopher Clark used when talking about the outbreak of the First World War. For that reason, the European Parliament urges you to think the about the conflict from the point of view of its outcome and to keep all channels of communication with Russia open.

You held a first Ukraine summit two weeks ago here in Brussels. Today you are discussing the Crimea crisis once again. Next week US President Obama is coming to Brussels, and the week after that China’s President Xi Jinping. This gives us an opportunity to liaise intensively with key actors.

I should specifically like to thank the Foreign Ministers of Poland, France and Germany for their efforts, before the crisis came to a head, to ease the tensions in Ukraine. When the EU stands together, there is much we can achieve.....................................http://www.europarl.europa.eu/the-president/en/press/press_release_speeches/speeches/sp-2014/sp-2014-march/html/speech-to-the-european-council-by-martin-schulz-president-of-the-european-parliament20/3/14
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Related:

• Lavrov tells Kerry Russia's Crimea move will not be revisited, must be respected

• Russian Duma Approves Crimea Annexation / State Duma adopts documents on Crimea’s joining the Russian Federation (2 video)

• EU response to events in Ukraine. -Štefan Füle European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy

• EU suspends work on Ukraine accord implementation

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Related:

• EU Commissioner Füle must take responsibility for export of chaos to EU - leader of Ukrainian public movement....

 EU Commissioner, Štefan Füle, must assume responsibility for export to Europe of the most dangerous trends, which consequences were condemned by the Nuremberg Tribunal. This came today as a statement by leader of the Ukrainian choice public movement, Viktor Medvedchuk.

"As the European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Štefan Füle, announced on behalf of the EU the enlargement of the EU and Ukraine’s possible membership in the EU. But is the European Union ready to grant membership to a country, where the rights and freedoms of citizens are roughly violated, where the right of force prevails, but not the force of law, where acts of vandalism, pogroms, marauding, armed attacks have become everyday routine, and where the government is not only inactive, but often covers criminals? Moreover, it does all this being guided by revolutionary expediency and prominent services of the criminals to the Maidan," the statement says.

Medvedchuk reminded the European Commissioner of facts of rampant lawlessness that has plunged Ukraine into chaos and anarchy. "Squaring of accounts with political opponents is becoming the norm in Ukraine. It’s difficult to imagine how illegal actions of the Ukrainian authorities fit the EU Charter on human rights," the document says.

"Neo-Nazism and radicalism are gaining momentum in the country. Mr. Füle, speaking about Ukraine’s possible membership in the EU, you assume responsibility for "export" of the most dangerous trends to Europe, those, which consequences were condemned by the Nuremberg Tribunal. Are you ready for this and is the United Europe ready?" the leader of the Ukrainian Choice says.

Signing of the political part of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union is scheduled for March 21 in Brussels.

Voice of Russia, RIA
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_03_20/EU-Commissioner-F-le-must-take-responsibility-for-export-of-chaos-to-EU-leader-of-Ukrainian-Choice-3102/
20/3/14