Yulia left her farm four months into the fighting. The harvest had always been the best time of year, but this year it was too dangerous. There was nowhere for the grain to go anyway.
The Russian blockade was a tragedy for Yulia as it was for the millions who depended on Ukrainian food exports around the world. Just as Ukraine’s economy has been shaped by Russian needs over centuries, unjust trade and the afterlives of colonialism mean that entire regions do not provide for their own food needs. Heat waves and droughts make this bad situation worse.
We need a global just transition, because our future is everyone’s future and everyone’s future is our future. Peace, prosperity, and sustainability go hand in hand. The world cannot have one, while it ignores another.
Insecurity and conflicts are growing, from wars to genocidal attempts, while autocratic regimes endanger democratic values and international dialogue.
The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine was a turning point in the history of our continent and the world. It violates the rule of international law, peace, and security.
As Greens, we stand firm in our undivided solidarity with and support for Ukraine and for continued financial and military support. The struggle of the people of Ukraine for freedom, peace, and joining the European Union is our struggle.
It is not only Ukraine. Globally, peace and security are under threat. Painful conflicts are raging in the Middle East, the Caucasus, the Sahel, and Central Africa.
Growing tensions and shrinking space for democracy and civil society threaten the integrity of the international system and the hope for a better world. Europe’s dependence on authoritarian regimes blinded us to this reality for too long.
The accelerating climate crisis, natural disasters, and the race for resources sit alongside the global inequality that remains baked into economic relations, trade deals, and multilateral institutions. Colonialism and its legacy are still with us.
In today’s world, we believe the European Union must be a strong player. The EU is and has always been a peace project. We must be able to stand up for the EU’s security as well as peace and universal values in our neighbourhood and the world.
Human rights and economic prosperity cannot be a luxury for the world’s richest. Global justice, good governance, and democratic norms and institutions help a country flourish. They are essential for a secure, cooperative, and peaceful world.
A global just transition from which all countries and regions can benefit is key to that future.
Our answer starts with the EU achieving greater security in geopolitical and economic terms and acting as one internationally. For the EU, our security also depends on our support for Ukraine.
We will make values, peace, and reconciliation priorities for the EU’s international policies, building a more stable world through human security, diplomacy and conflict prevention. The EU must be ready to work with all friends of peace, human rights, and multilateralism to these ends.
We have the courage to make the EU a force for a different, more just world.
Europe’s green transition is both a geopolitical tool and a global responsibility. Climate diplomacy and cooperation on green technology and investment are key to how we will deal with the world.
We will fight for global justice. The EU can rewrite unjust trade rules to make the world fairer and more equal. All countries must have a stake in the new decarbonized global economy.
A secure and peaceful world, where Europe works with partners to put people and planet before war and exploitation.
This is the future we want, and that Europe can help build.