By: Alenka Jeraj
No one imagined that there could be a war on European soil in 2022, although we have often marvelled at some of Russian President Putin’s moves or what is happening in the Balkans.
There are always different interests and plans, but in recent years cooperation between countries in Europe has prevailed. Occasionally the behaviour of officials in Brussels was very harsh towards some countries, which already indicated that not everything was in order, but in some cases certain matters and actions were tolerated, while in others they were not. The European Union has thus been much concerned with itself, bringing to the fore topics that seemed less important. We can even say that it imposed certain provisions that certain countries did not want to adopt. There was a clear difference between Eastern and Western Europe, in fact between countries with long-standing democracies and countries that lived in a totalitarian, communist system. The need for freedom and sovereignty and the introduction of democracy gave rise to new states in 1988-1991, when democratic ferment began in many communist countries. They were established or build by nations that, due to various historical circumstances, lived in e.g., Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, it consisted of 15 republics, which later became independent entities: Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Russia. Many of these have taken important steps in the development and consolidation of democracy, with the establishment of democratic leaderships, the introduction of parliamentary democracy and the accession to the European Union. Ukraine also wants to become a member of the EU and NATO. After 1991, when the Soviet Union disintegrated and various European nations came to independence, like us Slovenes, and after the murders in the Balkans, we lived under the illusion that we had learned something from history and that there would never be another war. But as we often emphasise. Democracy is not something that is given once and for all. It needs to be consolidated every day and possible conflicts resolved before such aggravations occur as we are witnessing now that Russian leader Putin has attacked the independent and sovereign state of Ukraine. In fact, we have been following the conflict after his occupation of Crimea for some time, but apart from warnings and calls, no serious sanctions have been imposed on Russia.
The situation is similar in the Balkans. The war is over, but we know that the passions have not yet subsided, that many people are thinking that someone has been wronged and have not given up ideas about all citizens in one country or that part of the neighbouring country really belongs to them. The solution is for these countries to join the European Union, which helps to resolve conflicts, bring democracy to these countries, and help build democracy at home.
The European Union is an alliance that emerged after the Second World War on the foundations of a ruined and destroyed Europe. The fathers of a new, united Europe, first in the economic field, organised it with the aim of never again waging war and for the nations to live in coexistence and help each other. But the fact is that in these last relatively easy years, when we have a high standard compared to many other areas in the world, the European Union has seen problems elsewhere than they used to be. It has dealt with gender theory, introduced LGTB theories into all segments of society, privileged smaller groups that have taken advantage of it frequently, dealt with climate change that is happening and needs to be addressed, but the EU contributes only 8% to global pollution, etc. Thus, with various restrictions and emission coupons, we raised the prices of everything and became less competitive.
In fact, the EU has bigger problems. The departure of Great Britain from the EU should have sobered up high-ranking politicians at the EU summit, but this has not happened. Let me remind you that our President Janez Janša warned that if we do not talk and agree, someone else will leave the EU. Pressures on the sovereign state of Poland and Hungary, while e.g., there have been no similar sanctions for Spain when dealing with politicians who advocated an independent Catalonia or some other examples from France, show that different criteria apply to different countries, which basically shows inequality in sanctions. All EU Member States must have the same conditions, the same opportunities and must be considered in their specificities and characteristics, from which they may not deviate. In the end, individual countries know what is best for its country and its citizens. Especially, the former communist countries, which have bad experiences from the past, are more attentive and careful when introducing innovations and do not want to introduce them at any cost. The epidemic showed that the EU pays too much attention to smaller problems and not to key ones, when we found out that we left all the production of masks to the Chinese, because it is cheaper for the EU. When we needed the masks, we had to wait for the Chinese to sell them to us, who of course continued to provide them for its residents. But masks are not the only problem. In many areas, Europe has fallen asleep or left key areas to others for profit and is now dependent on others. Such as e.g., many countries depend on Russian gas.
On February 22nd, 2022, Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine and we are all appalled. The developed world has condemned the attack, but there are also those who sympathise with Russia and Putin. Putin was called to end the aggression by Pope Francis, our compatriot, missionary Pedro Opeka, and the presidents and leaders of most EU-led countries. As early as 2020, Otto von Habsburg announced in an interview in Družina weekly that the arrival of former Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer in power, means that Russia would embark on a dangerous offensive that would not stop in Ukraine. He said: “What is particularly worrying is what is happening in Russia. You know, when a man reaches a certain age – I will turn 88 this year – then he has seen almost everything – and the opposite. And today so many things in politics remind me of a time when we were sliding towards World War II. In his day, almost no one took seriously what Hitler was saying. In his last speech before the European Parliament in a foreign policy debate, Enrico Belinguer, an Italian communist, and a member of the European Parliament for several years, said a very important sentence: “Take seriously what the Russians tell you.” And the Russians are telling us damn serious things today that we hardly notice. I am sometimes asked what the fact that Vladimir Putin took over from Yeltsin means. Does this mean that the KGB has taken over? Yes, Putin is a KGB man, but we hear little about it. Then there is Pavel Borodin, a man you hardly hear about in our press, although a lot of knowledge shows that he is the second most important man in Russia. As Secretary of State, he is responsible for connecting Russia and Belarus. During his speech in Minsk, he described this integration as the first step towards the reunification of the former Soviet territory. After Belarus, other countries are expected to come, such as Ukraine, and his plans go further – to Serbia. This should be kept in mind in Slovenia. Let me point out another fact. Almost everyone in the world is disarming, and the new Russian budget brings a 50 percent increase in military spending. And that is what we pay for. It is just scary how blind we are sometimes. The European Community needs to think more about its security than in the past, and enlargement is an important instrument of that security. With it, we are expanding the boundaries of freedom, and this is the strongest guarantee of security.”
The European Union has not given enough thought to its own security. Let us recall how unprepared it was for the migrant wave in 2015, when the throngs of economic migrants rushed to Europe. But even this has not yet sobered some European leaders. Something similar could have happened to us after the departure of NATO troops from Afghanistan, if not for the decisive actions of the Prime Minister and President of the EU Council Janez Janša and our Minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs, who prevented a new onslaught with decisive action and support of EU leaders.
We now have a war on our doorstep, and only decisive and united action by the EU and the world can prevent serious consequences for all of us. The war really is not as far off as it may seem to some. And some of us still remember what it was like in 1991. Every life lost is a disaster. Therefore, it is necessary to exert all forces to end the war as soon as possible.
Alenka Jeraj is a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, president of the Fran Govekar Ig Association, mother, poet, director, volleyball player, skier, optimist .