The Philosophy of Peace in Europe:

European Integration as an Instrument for

Peace

1

Written by Cristina M. Pascari,

Student of MA in International Relations

Summary:

1. Philosophy of peace creation and peace keeping in

Europe ............................................3

2. Inception of European Union and its initial

ideas .........................................................

.5

3. Founding fathers of European

Union .........................................................

................. 8

4. European Integration and Peace (types of integration: central,

national, regional, sectorial

and

individual ) ..................................................

...................................................... 8

4.1 Feminist Perspectives on National and International

Security ...................... 10

2

5. Definition of peace and security in European

Union ................................................... 13

6. Peace around European Union and the role of EU as security

provider ......................... 14

7. References ....................................................

..........................................................17

1. Philosophy of Peace creation and peace keeping in Europe

3

The philosophical ideas of peaceful existence in Europe have been

expressed from the early stages of its history and it became a clear

condition for industrial development and social welfare in the 18th

century. Whether they go back to the Greek and Roman Ancient

theories or adopt the more modern ones, it is sure that the idea of

peace has been nesting. Many European philosophers, politicians and

scholars made more and more conceptions on philosophy of peace

keeping, causes of war, and most important, avoidance of war.

Europe is not simply the place where many philosophies were first

elaborated and developed. On the contrary, it first arises as a

place only in and through the elaboration and development of

philosophy. Historically speaking, mainly Europe has been

preoccupied with philosophy of what it is to be a human being with

human rights, what are the best structures of state and society that

will ensure the co-existence of humans, and what are the possible

philosophies and pragmatic methods of peace keeping.

Some of the most influential modern theories are considered the

philosophical concepts of Immanuel Kant expressed in his

philosophical sketch “Perpetual Peace”. Kant's essay resembles

modern democratic peace theory at its core (division of powers in

the state, governments composed by representatives of the people….)

but there are significant differences that are left behind as a

“thought of the time”. The most important detail that he points out

is that the governments are not capable to maintain peace by

themselves: freedom of emigration and a league of nations are

necessary to consciously enact his six-point program. Also, he4

presents 3 Definitive Articles where he presents methods for not

merely cessation of hostilities, but useful for a foundation on

which to build a peace between the states. Kant seems to be the most

realistic from the modern theorists, as he claims that republics

will be not be at peace with each other, but are more pacific than

other forms of government in general. 1

Kant has the merit not only to propose the Republican state but

also to predict that there will be “a great political body of the

future” emerging in Europe, a kind of league of nations, that will

most probably serve as a guiding example for the rest of the world.

He sees the future of global human community through an essential

philosophical view: a “cosmopolitan existence” as the final end of

world history.2 The ideas from his essays (Principles of Politics,

Idea for a Universal History with a Cosmopolitan Purpose, Perpetual

Peace, etc) and also from the post-Kantian interpretation of his

work ( by Hegel, Marx, Husserl, Valéry, Berlin, Fukuyama etc)

created a wide range of philosophical ideas and controversies, just

like Kant would have liked as one of his convictions in political

philosophy is that the university should be a model of creative

conflict: the philosopher's role is be to "police", likewise, the

goal of perpetual peace in society can be achieved only when the

rulers consult with philosophers on a regular basis.

1 http://www.archive.org/stream/perpetualpeaceph00kantuoft/perpetualpeaceph00kantuoft_djvu.txt

2 Kant Immanuel - Idea for a Universal History from a Cosmopolitan Point of View (1784). Translation by Lewis White Beck.“On History,” The Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1963.

5

From the theories of Kant and under the influence of the

conflicts, other principles were created by several thinkers: H. G.

Wells: “The War That Will End War” - he sees that the influence of major

world military powers as the only solution for keeping the peace and

defeat the nations that started the war.

Sir Ralph Norman Angell believed that modern commerce made war

unprofitable, even for the technically victorious country. Building

an army was not going to secure peace, on the contrary, it would

lead to increased insecurity and thus increase the likelihood of

war. Only respect for international law, a world court, in which

issues would be dealt with logically and peaceably, would be the

route for peace, these principles are presented in his book The Great

Illusion.

For his conceptions, Angell was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in

19333. In the second edition of his book, he goes as far as to say

that the WW II was avoidable if the major powers in Europe (France,

Britain, Poland, Czechoslovakia, etc) had bound themselves together

to oppose all military aggression, including that of Hitler's, and

to appeal to world justice for solution to countries' grievances,

then the great mass of reasonable Germans would have started counter

actions and would have stopped Hitler from leading their country

into an un-winnable war.

The next influential thought was a continuation of Kant’s

philosophy of peace: a confederation of peaceable princes could

3 Sir Norman Angell – Biographical page on Nobel Prize winner’s page

6

produce a perpetual peace, defined and proposed by Clarence Streit

in the book Union Now (1938). Streit proposes a union of the

democratic states modeled after the Constitution of the United

States, the trade and the peaceable ways of democracy would keep

this Union perpetual, and counted on the combined power of the Union

to deter the Axis from war.

This theory had many critics, starting with Erik Gartzke who has

found empirical evidence that economic freedom is about fifty times

more effective than democracy in reducing violent conflict. Also,

Joseph Schumpeter argued that economic freedom and capitalism drive

modern states to peaceful and opposed to conquest and conflicts.

Schumpeter's explanation was simple: Only war profiteers and

military aristocrats gain from wars.

As we can see thus far, most philosophical ideas on peace keeping

include economic development and are not focused only on growing

military power or political actions. International relations and

political dialogue are not new areas for European leaders but

economic development at such a level – it is and the only detail

that remained to be clarified what would be the ideal method:

economic freedom, union of trade, union of states, federation of

states etc.

A very influential British political philosopher Jeremy Bentham

follows Kant’s preliminary articles as well, but contrary to many

modern theorists, he focuses on disarmament, arbitration, and the

renunciation of colonies as tools for producing perpetual peace. His

ideas were before his times and included many liberalist concepts7

(individual and economic freedom, abolition of slavery, the

separation of church and state, freedom of expression, equal rights

for women, the right to divorce etc).4 On the philosophy of peace,

one of his tools was to involve the public opinion in the decision

making and to rely on public pressure, language and dialog against

the absolute monarchy.

Contrary to these philosophies and avoidable or not, the WW I and

WW II divided and destroyed the Europe as they knew it. The wars

forced Head of States and politicians to look deep in the existing

theories and to make workable reforms and policies, to make the

dream of peaceful co-existence between European States more than a

dream.

2. Inception of the European Union and its initial ideas

After the WWW II, the European states found themselves confronting

the disastrous aftermath of post-war; both the human and economic

costs hit Europe hardest. There was a general desire to ensure that

war could never happen again, primarily targeted at preventing the

rearmament of Germany and particularly with the existence of the

nuclear weapons. The concepts of “Unity of Europe”, “Federation of

Europe” or “United States of Europe” started to be more and more

present. From the philosophical concept to reality it is a very long

way and the path to making this dream come true has been paved with

the input of some remarkable political men and women. Many4 Baum, Tomas - A Quest for Inspiration in the Liberal Peace Paradigm: Back to Bentham?

8

politicians of the time contributed to the creation of a universal

solution for economic development, unity and peace and we can note

here Winston Churchill, Robert Schuman, Jean Monnet, Charles de

Gaulle and even Margaret Thatcher – a well-known Conservative Prime

Minister. Further men are Victor Hugo who made a speech where he

called for United States of Europe in 1849 at the International

Peace Congress of Paris, Jacques Delors and many others.

The original ideas were to interconnect the European states in

such ways/sector that any prospect of conflict or war would be

extremely costly and thus completely avoided. The most voted upon

way/sector was the economic development as it was the first

necessity of the countries in the after war period. The

encouragement of trade –and therefore the free circulation of

capital and goods– was the way forward chosen to achieve this goal.

This would include in itself a strong economic cooperation that will

create the necessary growth for all states included in this

cooperation. In the aftermath of the war the main industries were

the heavy industries of coal and steel, located in the territory

between Germany and France. France was in severe need of

reconstruction and completely dependent on coal from Germany's main

remaining coal-mining areas, the Ruhr and Saar areas. Monnet and his

colleagues conceived the idea of a European Community.

On 9 May 1950 Robert Schuman5 - the French Minister of Foreign

Affairs made a declaration in the name of the French government and

with the agreement of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer of West Germany.5 The Shuman Declaration 1950

9

This declaration was actually prepared by Monnet and proposed

integration of the French and German coal and steel industries under

joint control, and that this cooperation was open to the other

countries of Europe. Schuman’s declaration:"Through the consolidation of basic production and the institution of a new High Authority,

whose decisions will bind France, Germany and the other countries that join, this proposal

represents the first concrete step towards a European federation, imperative for the

preservation of peace”

These were only the first agreements that lead to the European Steel

and Coal Community, European Economic Community and the European

Union as it exists today. This Union and cooperation has been

extended to all sectors /areas of national competence and it

constitute an equal participation from all current member states.

Although initially conceived as a Common Market and association

of sovereign states, the European Community was seen as a prelude to

a deeper political union. As the founding Treaties declare the aim

was 'to lay the foundations of an ever closer union among the

peoples of Europe' and beyond this:

“to substitute for age-old rivalries the merging of their essential

interests; to create, by establishing an economic community, the basis for a

broader and deeper community among peoples long divided by bloody conflict;

and to lay the foundations for institutions which will give direction to a destiny

henceforward shared.”

Ever since its inception, these goals hinge largely on the EU's

capacity to create a new sense of 'Europeanness': a collective

identity that can supersede exclusively parochial and nationalistic

10

loyalties and lay the foundations for a higher level of

consciousness based on allegiance to European (rather than national)

institutions and ideals6. The idea of a European Identity is still

largely debated.

One the main objective of the European integration was the

promotion of peace and the well-being of the people. As a Union

declared in 1993 more principles were included and added to the

list: promotion of certain common values like are the respect for

human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and

respect for human rights, including now the rights of persons

belonging to minorities. The EU also aims to offer European citizens

an area of freedom, security and justice without internal frontiers,

and an economically healthy and sustainable internal market. The EU

also developed a common foreign and security policy. In its

relations with the wider world, the EU proclaims to uphold and

promote its values and interests and contribute to the protection of

its citizens.

When the first steps towards European cooperation were made and

the discussion of a supranational cooperation existed, the Founding

Fathers could never have imagined this outcome in their wildest

dreams. The European Union has an institutional framework with the

role to promote its principles and protect its member states. The

EU’s legislative organs are the European Parliament and the Council

of the EU. The executive organ is the European Council. The European

Commission oversees the application of Union law by Member States,6 Shore, Cris - European Union and the Politics of Culture - Published in 2001

11

and the Court of Justice of the European Union, being the EU’s

judicial organ, ensures that Member States correctly apply EU law.7

3. Founding fathers of European Union

As the concept of European Integration is immensely complex and it

is the result of intellectual work of many people of the time, we

can mention here the politicians and scholars of the time that made

the negotiations and materialized the concept. The term “Founding

Fathers of the EU” refers to a group of statesmen and politicians

who played the crucial role in launching the project of the EU. They

include:

Konrad Adenauer (Germany)

Joseph Bech (Luxembourg)

Johan Willem Beyen (Netherlands)

Winston Churchill (United Kingdom)

Alcide De Gasperi (Italy)

Walter Hallstein (Germany)

Sicco Mansholt (Netherlands)

Jean Monnet (France)

Robert Schuman (France)

Paul-Henri Spaak (Belgium)

Altiero Spinelli (Italy)

7 Fontaine, Pascal – Europe in 12 lessons – published in 201012

Although not all the people who signed the treaty are known as

founding fathers, many of them had an important role in the Economic

Community and it the initial Parliament.8

4. European Integration and Peace (types of integration: central,

national, regional, sectorial and individual)

Since its inception the EU has taken huge steps toward further

integration and enlargement of its structure in the hope that it

will not only provide but also keep the peace, security and equality

for its citizens and promote economic and social cohesion.

Enumerating the advantages and opportunities resulting for the

economies of the member states for the societies and for the

individuals, we must consider the challenges that such a Union poses

to the particular member states and to their inhabitants. It has

achieved a lot in many fields through a process of voluntary

integration between the nation-states of Europe.

In the first stage of cooperation (until 1957) between the 6

member states – Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, the

Netherlands and Luxembourg, the cooperation was open expressed by

the politicians, it was a central integration – discussed and

negotiated by the Head of States together with the Ministries and

representatives of government. This cooperation was seen as the only

way to keep the peace while enhancing economic development for these

states. The example and the success of this cooperation were not un-8 The Founding Fathers of the EU – official site of EU

13

noticed and shortly other countries joined the ECSC and later EEC.

The connection between European integration and peace and security

has been considered to favor more cooperation and integration at the

regional level in order to avoid or end bilateral, regional and even

domestic conflicts. European post-war history and the initial phases

of European integration are thereby explicitly or implicitly

presented as a demonstration of the validity of this strategy.

In the later stages of EU enlargement, (more specifically in 2004

enlargement) the new states made a national integration – where

their countries had to complete a set of modifications of their

legislation and to harmonize with the EU laws and regulations. For

these countries the integration was planned for years and it was a

national goal.

So far, the most difficult type of integration has proved to be

the regional, sectorial9 and personal integration. Not all countries

had a central integration – some countries conducted a referendum to

see whether the citizens would be willing to be integrated and obey

the rules of the EU. In some countries the referendum failed and

this raised another major question: the individual or personal

integration. As any legal structure, the EU has had its failures and

draw backs and because of these many politicians and scholars, as

well as simple citizens disputed the idea of a supra-national body

and claimed that the national feeling is much more stringer than

this new concept. This approach raised a huge problem for the EU as

it seemed that for politicians and economists it was clear the9 De Lombaerde, Philippe - Regional Integration and Peace

14

necessity of this union while for the simple citizen – it was not as

clear. This is why the EU has initiated many strategies of cultural

cooperation, education and social network – to help people from all

member states be closer in their life goals. For political reasons

and because of history, there were many obstacles in the way of free

movement of people, free movement of goods and general European

spirit. The Founding Fathers didn’t take into consideration that the

mentality and attitude towards other nations is extremely difficult

to change. The concept of national identity and the mentality of

each nation is a deeply ideological one, and it has proved to be

inflexible in the face of economic security, peace and development10.

In the situation of good economic growth people still reflect on the

old ideology instead of looking to the future and creating new ones.

Some of the key politicians expressed that if they would have

started this Union again, they would have initiated the cultural and

personal integration as one of the initial stages.

 

4.1. Feminist Perspectives on National and International Security

It is very rare to find references on the role of women in

security issues or peace keeping processes. The few times when women

are mentioned in the situation of war they are either the victims or

the prize, so armies of man need to protect the mothers and sisters

etc. When we think about national security we think of a male

committee and a male army. The highest form of patriotism is10 Shore, Cris - European Union and the Politics of Culture

15

sacrificing your life for your country and women have been excluded

from this.

When women proposed their views on national security they were often

dismissed as being too naive or unrealistic. There are many examples

in the history but the one of the most important anti-war activist

was Nobel Prize winner Mrs. Jane Addams – an open anti- war

opponent. She was condemned for her ideas as it was considered that

she doesn't trust the national army with the security of the

country. She insisted that war should stop and proposed at the

International Congress of Women in Hague during the WWI a new

principle of internationalism that will replace the self-destructive

nationalism concepts that contributed so centrally to the mass

destruction of WWI11.

As a general rule, women were expected to nurse and care for

the men that are ready to put themselves in danger for the country.

During both WWI and WWII there was a massive change in this policy

and women were included in the many sectors of productions. By

1945, more than 2.2 million women were working in building ships,

aircraft, vehicles, and weaponry12. Women also worked in factories,

munitions plants and farms, and also drove trucks, provided logistic

support for soldiers and enlisted as nurses serving on the front

lines13. Despite the major implications in these sectors, women are

11 Addams, Jane – Biography – article published in biography.com

12 Women at war – an article of sputniknews.com

13 History Women Military Women in Military Service16

not included in the decision – making process. Very few women were

involved in the crucial decisions that were taken during the wars or

crisis. We can mention here the few exemptions that existed:

- Madame Chiang Kai-shek in China - active promoter of the

Chinese cause against the Japanese occupation. She was the wife

of the Nationalist leader of China and was head of China's air

force during the war. She was called the World's Most Famous

Woman for her efforts.14

- British women in government also played important roles during

the war. Queen Elizabeth and her daughters, Princesses

Elizabeth (future Queen Elizabeth II) and Margaret, were an

important part of the morale effort, continuing to live at

Buckingham Palace in London even when the Germans were bombing

the city, and distributing aid in the city after bombing raids.

- Nancy Astor was Member of Parliament and feminist, worked to

keep up the morale of her constituents and served as unofficial

hostess to American troops in England.

- In the United States, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt played an

active role in building morale among civilians and military

forces. She continued to publish a daily newspaper column. She

also advocated for responsible roles for women and for

minorities.

- Other women in decision-making positions included Frances

Perkins. US Secretary of Labor (1933-1945), Oveta Culp Hobby

14 Lewis, Jone Johnson - Women and World War II: Women in the Government, Women in Political Leadership in Wartime

17

who headed the War Department's Women's Interest Section and

became director of the Women's Army Corps (WAC), and Mary

McLeod Bethune who served as director of the Division of Negro

Affairs and advocated the commissioning of black women as

officers in the Women's Army Corps.

- At the end of the war, Alice Paul rewrote the Equal Rights

Amendment, which had been introduced into and rejected by each

session of Congress since women had achieved the vote in 1920.

She and other former suffragists expected that women's

contributions to the war effort would naturally lead to the

acceptance of equal rights, but the Amendment didn't pass

Congress until the 1970s, and eventually failed to pass in the

required number of states.

- Margaret Thatcher in UK taking the position of Prime Minister

and dealing with the Falklands wars and leading the country for

more than 11 years.

- The more we get closer to our present times we notice that

women are involved more and more in the security issues and in

the decision making process: The EU's High Representative for

Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the

EC is Mrs. Federica Mogherini after Mrs. Catherine Ashton.

However, the number of women involved in the Security policy

administration is quite disappointing - 41 + 8 current EU

special representatives in conflict areas promote the EU's

policies and interests in troubled regions and countries and

play an active role in efforts to consolidate peace, stability18

and the rule of law. Only 2 were women and their mandate was

from 2010 to 2012.

Of course, the nature of war and security issues have immensely

changed now compared to the situation of WWI and WWII, and again the

situation and role of women has changed as well. There is a more

open society and more equal opportunities for men and women.

However, the situation of women compared to men in conflicting

countries is extremely difficult; also the situation of women in

developed countries from the developing countries is very different.

Discussion on the meaning of security revealed that Western

countries women understand main security issues being: nuclear

threat, disarmament and world epidemics, or at national level – high

unemployment and public debt; women in developing countries put in

first place sexism, rape and violence against women in their own

families and communities, at the national level they include

structural violence associated with religious extremism, militarism,

racism and genocide. From these perceptions we can see what are the

main issues for women and how they define what is international and

national important for their security15. How many men from developing

countries would say that an issue for national security is violence

against women?

A solution and a first step for changing the situation in all

countries is to alter the meaning of patriotism – a feminist

definition would change the traditional idea of - men gloriously15 Karen A. Mingst - Essentials readings in world politics, Publisher - Northon and Company, New York,

USA. 19

sacrificing their lives for the country and women supporting them in

this sacrifice - and include in the meaning of patriotism – serving

your country means to have the courage to sustain live for you and

for your community, both women and men (as proposed first by Wendy

Brown). Second change would intervene in politics – the male

domination of the political scene must be balanced and this will

shift the focus of political loyalty from sacrifice to political

responsibility for the country's security, as not only the men see

it but also as the women see it.

Feminist theories allows for the envision of less militarized

version of state's identities and alternative models for state' s

international security seeking behaviour, extrapolated from a more

comprehensive view of human behaviour. Feminist perspective on

national security allows perceptions beyond the masculinized vision

that is taken as universal but it only includes a partial view of

the reality. Women have defined security as the absence of any

violence starting with sexual and including economic and military

one16. Only together with the woman’s perceptions can the whole view

of security be seen and only together with them a real solution can

be found, a solution that serves the whole community and country. (I

owe the ideas from this chapter to J. Ann. Tickner, she is a true

inspiration in the research of women in international relations,

politics and feminism in general)

16 Tickner J. Ann - Gender in International Relations - Feminist Perspectives on Achieving Global Security

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5. Definition of peace and security in European Union

At the moment of EU’s inception, the definition of peace was

straight forward: avoidance of war. In the founding treaties of

European Coal and Steel Commission and Treaties of Rome, the idea of

peace keeping is central and dominant. With the time and with the

changes in Europe and after maintaining a peaceful environment for

several decades, the Member States finalized the Treaty of

Maastricht which was the one founding and defining the European

Union as we know it today. It is notable that the founding

legislative instruments of the European Union define the main goal

as the creation of a wide-ranging internal market, despite the fact

that this was the means rather than the end. It looks like the

strategy has been changed and the concept of peace and prosperity

which was the main focus of the EU’s predecessor took the second

place. This shift in the main focus of the EU shows that the its

members have progressed very much from feeling threatened by war and

conflicts, to feeling stable enough and look into the future, a

future of cooperation and development. This change of focus doesn’t

mean that the long-term peace is not guaranteed anymore, from the

contrary, the EU members progressed from the “defensive mode” of

post-war situation into a “full-economic development mode” while

adding new institutions of peace keeping.

Coming back to the definition of peace, in the ’50s it was an

avoidance of war between the member states and less threats from a

strong military force. 21

With time this situation changed from avoidance of war to

promoting peace and security, the negative threat of war is excluded

and there is more talk of security. A new dimension of security is

introduced and this is combined with peace: security is necessary to

maintain peace while peace is the main aim of security measurements.

But even the notion of “security” has evolved in time: in the past

it was associated with military force and in the present it includes

many other sectors. As the European integration has progressed and

its scope has widened so the understanding of peace has evolved as

well. Conception of security that has the main objective the

preservation of peace has been adopted and these two terms have

become entwined, and usually where there is included the term of

“peace keeping” there is the “security” notion as well.

This new concept has been defined and long- constructed and

finally included in the Treaty of Lisbon, 2007. In 2009 the Lisbon

Treaty was ratified and strengthened the position of EU by creating:

the post of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs & Security

Policy and the European External Action Service (EEAS) – the EU's

diplomatic corps.17

Since the European Integration helped maintain a peaceful co-

existence of the member states, the only time when it is referred to

peace is when speaking of neighbour states or any other state. The

EU has no standing army and it relies on EU countries’ forces for

joint disarmament operations, military assistance, conflict

prevention and peacekeeping, peacemaking and post-conflict17 The Official site of the EU’ External Action

22

stabilization, crisis management etc. under its Common Security and

Defence Policy (CSDP)18. This proves that the Union has ensured a

strong connection between its members and there are no threats

internally. The EU can focus on enlargement and peace – keeping

outside its borders. With the main instrument – the European

External Action Service and about 140 EU Delegations and Offices

operating around the world, the EU has consolidated its role as

Security provider on the European continent and beyond.

6. Peace around European Union and the role of EU as security

provider

In 2012 the EU has received the Nobel Prize for peace – for the

success in consolidating peace on the European continent. The

Norwegian Nobel Committee based its decision on the stabilizing role

of the EU, transforming the European continent from a continent of

war in to a continent of peace, and its “successful struggle for peace and

reconciliation and for democracy and human rights” 19

Since the Prize was awarded in time of economic and monetary

crisis and social unrest, gave hope to European citizens and member

states to continue with the initial European project. This confirms

the 2 accomplishments: peace keeping for decades on the EU territory

and international recognition of it as well as warning on how much

18 Official site of EU www.europa.eu

19 The Nobel Peace Prize for 2012

23

the EU Member States stand to lose if the European Union were

allowed to fall apart (based on the deep crisis started in 2008 the

fall of the EU was predicted by many people), this way the role of

security provider has been re-confirmed.

Whilst the EU is clearly considered a success in bringing peace

and security to the European continent, the success of the EU in

promoting peace and security outside its members/ candidate/

potential candidate states is much more limited.20

The European Union has achieved its main goal of peace keeping for

its members; currently the EU represents one of the largest economy

in the world, the largest trading block as well as one of the

biggest aid donor. But as a global actor, in the chapter of peace

and security, the EU seems to have not enough influence on its

neighbourhood area. This is visible in the many international crises

that have appeared and continue to exist. The EU has used its treaty

provisions for a closer cooperation in the field of security and

defence and the most visible is in the immediate neighbourhood of

the European Union.

To strengthen the security and prosperity of its immediate Eastern

and Southern Neighbourhood areas, the EU has developed several

policies and instruments mention above but ones of the most recent

one being the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). It was developed

in 2004, with the objective of avoiding the emergence of new

dividing lines between the enlarged EU and its neighbours and

instead strengthening the prosperity, stability and security of all20 EMI - The European Union’s role in providing peace and security: challenges for the new EU team

24

and it is based on the values of democracy, rule of law and respect

of human rights. This ENP framework includes the closest countries:

Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel,

Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia

and Ukraine21. The ENP has proved efficient in limited cases, not

because of the resources provided by the EU but due to the position

of the ENP countries. Without the real possibility of membership in

the EU – which would constitute a guarantee of peace and prosperity,

the promotion of democratisation, peace and stability is much less

effective. This poses a big problem as it is precisely the

neighbourhood countries has been and it is currently full of both

manifested and latent crises, and that poses the biggest threat to

the peace and security of the whole European continent. We have

already the example of Ukraine’s Maidan, the Arab Spring, the

violent rise of Islamic States, and from the past we have the Kosovo

conflict, the Balkanic wars, the Georgian war, the Transnistrian –

Moldovan conflict etc.

Despite the Ukraine crisis and others, these are not the first

one in Europe’s Eastern part and certainly not the first that fuels

tensions between the EU and Russia. From their experience during the

Cold War, both European States and Russia know each other’s powers.

From the strategy of keeping the conflicts “cold”, the EU has come

up with another innovative strategy – “freezing conflicts”. The

freezing of conflicts results in a situation where a conflict is

21 The European Neighbourhood Policy article published in www.enpi-info.eu25

neither resolved, nor openly violent. The freezing of conflicts has

been called “one of Europe's most important political innovations”.22

There are a number of ‘frozen conflicts’ in Europe’s eastern

Neighbourhood part that have the potential to turn into open

conflict and destabilize the region, and/or EU – Russia relations

even further. The roots of many ‘frozen conflicts’ can be found in

the conflicts where Russia was involved and the EU intervened as a

mediator or an arbiter.23 This has proven to be a good political tool

to prevent the loss of human lives and cease fire, even if it

doesn’t guarantee long-term peace. This tool doesn’t necessary mean

that there is no solution for that conflict and that the parties

failed. It only indicates a failure to resolve quickly a conflict

and that complex actions are necessary. The strategy of a ‘frozen

conflict’ gives a sense of security to the conflict parties and an

indication of what they can achieve once the conflict is over. The

European Union recognizes that it needs a stronger tool than the

‘frozen conflicts’ as thus far it lead to state failure organized

crime but there are success stories as well. We can present here the

case of Kosovo where the European Union has succeeded in normalizing

relations, substantially reducing the likelihood of open violence.

There is a great demand of peace and security in the Neighbourhood

areas but there are limitations in the capacity of the EU for

diplomacy and crisis management.24 The policy framework exists, but

22 EMI - The European Union’s role in providing peace and security: challenges for the new EU team23 Markedonov, Sergey - The dangerous thaw in the 'frozen conflicts' in the post-Soviet space 24 Gross, Eva - EU-U.S. Cooperation in Crisis Management: Transatlantic Approaches and Future Trajectories

26

both the Neighbourhood Policy and Common Security and Defence Policy

lack the political support (both from the country in crisis and from

the member states) to form an adequate and definite response to the

ongoing crises. Since the culture in the ENP countries is much

different than the one promoted by EU, reaching a political

agreement and following through while keeping peace has proved

extremely difficult. The main determinants of the EU’s role in peace

and security are: the capacity to undertake missions all over the

world and especially in the conflict zone, its willingness to devote

resources for security purposes, and its acceptance of the EU as a

leading arbiter for security issues.

27

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2. Angell Norman (Sir) – Biographical – Profile presentation of Nobel award

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3. Baum, Tomas - A Quest for Inspiration in the Liberal Peace Paradigm: Back to Bentham?

Publisher - Flemish Peace Institute, Brussels, Belgium

http://www.academia.edu/4449828/A_Quest_for_Inspiration_in_the_Libera

l_Peace_Paradigm_Back_to_Bentham

4. De Lombaerde, Philippe - Regional Integration and Peace – Published in 2005

http://www.monitor.upeace.org/innerpg.cfm?id_article=268

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http://www.netzwerk-ebd.de/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/FA-2014-011-Peace-and-

Security.pdf

6. Fontaine, Pascal – Europe in 12 lessons – published in 2010

28

7. Gross, Eva - EU-U.S. Cooperation in Crisis Management: Transatlantic Approaches and

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http://transatlantic.sais-jhu.edu/publications/books/Preventing_Confl

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id=6yQqGqaYr5UC&pg=PA101&lpg=PA101&dq=original+values+of+European+Uni

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conflicts-post-soviet-space

11. Lewis, Jone Johnson - Women and World War II: Women in the Government, Women

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http://womenshistory.about.com/od/warwwii/a/government.htm

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id=344&id_type=2

29

15. Kant Immanuel, Perpetual peace; a philosophical essay -

http://www.archive.org/stream/perpetualpeaceph00kantuoft/perpetualpea

ceph00kantuoft_djvu.txt

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http://www.brugesgroup.com/eu/european-union-and-the-politics-of-

culture.htm?xp=paper

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http://www.ces.uc.pt/ficheiros2/files/Short.pdf

20. The Shuman Declaration -

http://europa.eu/about-eu/basic-information/symbols/europe-day/schuma

n-declaration/index_en.htm

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http://europa.eu/about-eu/eu-history/founding-fathers/index_en.htm

22. The Nobel Peace Prize for 2012- article in

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2012/press.htm

l

23. Williams Andrew, The Ethos of Europe: Values, Law and Justice in the EU

http://books.google.hu/books?

id=YLVyZ2Z1QSsC&pg=PA53&lpg=PA53&dq=Definition+of+peace+and+security+

in+Europe&source=bl&ots=Mp4R8iHovP&sig=7zgHZ8oPCcvz6FyWkysamCr2Hoc&hl

30

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on%20of%20peace%20and%20security%20in%20Europe&f=false

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31