EU enlargement was never easy, but it is a strategic imperative | Carl Bildt

Last week, Ukraine and Moldova formally began the process of negotiation to join the EU. What is the importance of the two former Soviet republics becoming members of the bloc?

“I think we have to recognize that enlargement is a strategic process. (...) Poland notably, was a strategic imperative,” Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden, whose country joined the bloc in 1995, told TVP World, stressing EU’s role in bringing stability to the part of Europe that was previously under Soviet control, and expecting the same for Ukraine and Moldova.

“There will be lots of problems, there will be lots of challenges, there will be lots of bumps in the road. That was the case in all previous enlargements,” Bildt added. “But it is very, very important that we keep the strategic perspective clear and what needs to be done, and that we understand the consequences of failure, which would be instability and play into the hands of other eastern powers, notably Russia.”

Referring to the spat between Warsaw and Kyiv over historical memory, the former head of Swedish government pointed out that “ history of Europe is written in blood.”

“All of it. There’s no border in Europe that hasn't been drawn in blood over centuries. And the task of European integration is to overcome all of these tensions of the past,” Bildt added. “It’s only by overcoming this and focusing on the task for the future that we can build a more peaceful and prosperous Europe. It’s difficult, and there’s sometimes the temptation to play politics with feelings and with prejudices, but that is to play with fire.”

Join our host, Maciej Mikos and his guest, as they explore the importance of European integration in bringing peace to the continent, the Polish-Swedish defense cooperation and its role in bringing security to the Baltic, and how should Trump support Ukraine to bring about a fair peace where Donald Trump’s mediation efforts failed.

Chapters:
00:00 Ukraine’s EU accession and the strategic case for enlargement
02:02 Historical reconciliation and the need to get over national grievances
03:44 Brexit a decade later
04:43 Baltic security and Sweden-Poland submarine cooperation
05:38 Europe’s role in potential Russia-Ukraine talks
07:11 What did Putin expect to get from Trump?

Host: Maciej Mikos

#enlargement #ukraine #moldova

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