RESOLUTION | For a European Union capable to uphold security and defend its values internationally

The XXIX European Congress of the Union of European Federalists, convening in Barcelona, Spain, on 21-22 March 2026:

Alarmed by

1. the ongoing twelve-year war of aggression, including the four-year full-scale invasion, by Russia against Ukraine and its extensive consequences for European security,
2. the attack by the United States and Israel in Iran, disregarding international law and the escalation of the conflict resulting in global humanitarian, economic and security crises, including the drone hit in a British military facility on Cyprus,
3. the resurgence of nationalist power politics in international relations, as demonstrated by the recent pressure by the United States on Denmark to sell Greenland, thereby disregarding Denmark’s sovereignty, Greenland's autonomy status, and the transatlantic alliance,
4. the persisting disengagement by the United States from the military engagement on European soil, in respect of a retrenchment strategy and competitive policy clearly expressed within the National Security Strategy 2025,
5. the ongoing threat on the Eastern flank of the European Union and the continuation of hybrid threats targeting EU member states, public and private institutions, and critical infrastructures,
6. attacks by various national governments, including most prominently the United States, on the multilateral international rules-based system and the United Nations as a forum for resolving international tensions, including the withdrawal of funding and the exit from various conventions and agencies,
7. the attempt made by external powers to influence the internal political debate within the Union, in order to undermine its unity and the democratic discourse itself,
8. the rising impact and consequences of climate change for international security.

Concerned by

9. the consolidation of a new international system marked by insecurity, in which major continental powers play a central role and actively seek to undermine European cohesion, also influencing single EU governments and paralyzing EU decision processes;
10. the persistence of crisis hotspots worldwide following changes in the international system, including in South America, Africa, the Middle East, as well as the enduring Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
11. the weak governance of Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), including the Common Security and Defence Policy CSDP), led by a sui generis institution, the European External Action Service (EEAS), rather than the European Commission, thus marking a division of the executive of the EU
12. the fragmentation of joint European defence projects and reluctant cooperation among member states as national interests are prioritised over collective European Union interests,
13. the continued existence of significant divisions among EU Member States regarding essential support measures for Ukraine,
14. the confirmation of a new era for US-foreign policy, in which power politics, retrenchment, and ideological confrontation with liberal democracy constitute central elements and in which the EU is considered as a competitor for the US,

Aware of

15. the commitment to a value-based role of security and defence in protecting democratic societies from external and internal threats based on a broad concept of security including both military and civilian capabilities, civil protection, societal resilience as well as the safeguard of fundamental values
16. the fact that the dawn of a new multipolar era and amid growing international insecurity necessitates European political unity more urgently than ever,
17. the necessity to develop a coherent framework for enduring European foreign policy interests that considers, from a geopolitical perspective, the fundamental interests of the EU both on the continent and in the Mediterranean, and that exceeds, in analytical depth, the Strategic Compass, which now belongs to a different international context,
18. the necessity to create the conditions for genuine cooperation among EU member states in the field of security that addresses the various ongoing threats,

Therefore, the Union of the European Federalists calls for

1. effective support for Ukraine in the military, economic, and political spheres, with decisions made by majority vote where necessary,
2. the consolidation of a unified EU position in negotiations, including through an active role in the Coalition of the Willing, to support a just peace for Ukraine and uphold European interests,
3. the condemnation of any temporary easing of sanctions on Russian oil exports, including waivers justified by short-term market pressures, and the establishment of a permanent EU sanctions-enforcement and energy-resilience capacity under democratic control, so that the EU can exercise genuine strategic autonomy and ensure that no external actor can weaken European pressure on the Kremlin at a moment of continued war against Ukraine;
4. the progressive integration of existing air and missile defence cooperation on the Eastern flank into a genuine European Defence Union and building on emerging EU counter-drone efforts,
5. support for investment at the European and transnational levels in defence, aligned with a common strategy for foreign and defence policy,
6. the establishment of effective information exchange mechanisms at the European level to counter hybrid threats against major public or private European infrastructures,
7. strong support for the creation of a common Foreign and Defence policy, presently to be pursuit with all possible avenues allowed by existing treaties, including PESCO, beginning with willing member states,
8. merging of the EEAS into the European Commission, while maintaining the special status of the HR/VP, the CFSP/CSDP-agencies, notably the EDA, and staffing arrangements of the EEAS, as well as reviewing the issue of the presidency of council preparatory bodies in the field of CFSP/CSDP
9. support for a treaty reform, making possible the sufficient transfer of power, capable of revamp the construction of a genuine European federation as the sole institution effectively able to safeguard European citizens and the European democratic system.

Approved on 22 March 2026 by the XXIX European Congress of the Union of European Federalists, convened in Barcelona, Spain