PL MP Edward Zammit Lewis Backs EU’s Transition To ‘Hard Power’ Amid Russian Tensions
Labour MP Edward Zammit Lewis is standing by his call for the EU to revamp its foreign policy and increase its “hard power” in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I always stand by what I write,” Zammit Lewis told Lovin Malta.
“I believe that that is the way forward for the EU to keep its relevance regionally and globally. Any initiative at EU level to move forward in this regard is to be done with total respect to the sovereignty of member states and with due respect for any constitutional neutrality of member states, where this applies.”
Zammit Lewis’ call, which he made in a Times of Malta article in May 2022, is a far cry from Prime Minister Robert Abela’s recent criticism at calls from European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and the Opposition for the EU to increase its defence budget.
“While others want EU countries to spend more on weapons, we care about investing in people,” Abela told a political rally on Sunday.
“Wonder of wonders, the Opposition keeps insisting that it wants to spend your money on weapons. Go trust them to lead the country. We need to work strongly to elect PL MEPs who truly believe in the value of peace.”
Prime Minister Robert Abela
In his article, Zammit Lewis had warned that the Ukraine invasion poses the gravest security threat to Europe since World War Two and urged the EU to transform its foreign policy.
He said that while the war gave rise to unmatched EU cooperation in defence and persuaded reluctant member states to stop putting the breaks on further European defence integration, there was still a risk that such unity could eventually disintegrate.
“The war in Ukraine surely motivated the EU to surpass a number of shortcomings but it still has to overcome several thorny issues if it wants to develop a more effective foreign policy that will last beyond the current crisis,” Zammit Lewis wrote.
“The fear is that, with the prolongation of the war, this sudden surge of unity among the 27 member states may begin to wear out, especially if tougher decisions are needed that call for more sacrificing of the national interest and constitutional neutrality.”
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola
“The current lack of agreement on a sixth package of sanctions, which includes an embargo on Russian oil, is a case in point.”
“The union needs to carve for itself a compelling role as ‘a hard power’ in addition to its current significant economic weight and ‘soft power’.”
“Acting in crisis mode in response to Russian aggression, the EU quickly decided to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine and to levy tough sanctions on Russia. However, as part of its future defence policy, it needs to establish clearer policies and stronger safeguards for the provision of military aid to third countries.”
He said the EU should also establish a long-term strategy for the large-scale use of economic sanctions as a foreign policy instrument, especially to mitigate as much as possible trade disruption, the impact on energy and commodity prices and the overall global fallout.
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