Mission of Europe in the World Order of Peace
The Croatian Pan-European Union, in cooperation with the International Pan-European Union and the Knights Alkar Society of Sinj, organised from 25 to 27 October 2024 in Split and Sinj the international conference ‘Mission of Europe in the World Order of Peace’.
The conference gathered more than 70 representatives of Pan-European organisations from 12 European countries as well as representatives of Croatian and European institutions.
The common message of the speakers states that the European community of states and peoples, based on peace, must work together to ensure stability and security. It was emphasised that the European Union must speak out even more strongly and loudly in favour of peace in view of the new world situation. Never in the history of mankind has there been 70 years of uninterrupted peace in one area, and the existence of the European Union bears witness to this. In the years following the horrors of the two world wars, the EU has become a model for conflict resolution through dialogue and common interests rather than weapons. This ability of the European Union to keep the peace has far-reaching implications for the whole world.
The President of the Pan-European Union, Alain Terrenoire, pointed out that never since the Second World War has the world faced such crisis and insecurity as it does today. ‘Europe needs unity and its own weapons to protect itself on land and at sea,’ said Terrenoire. According to his interpretation, some believe that America will help Europe, while others hope for help from Russia. ‘Russia wants to conquer Europe and America wants to buy Europe,’ Terrenoire continued. He also estimated that the NATO alliance and the USA are currently focussing more on the Pacific than on Europe.
The envoy of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlić Radman, said that we live in a dangerous world. ‘We must do everything so that it does not end in a catastrophe and cataclysm, and therefore it is important that we in Europe act together, seek allies and react vigorously to dictatorial policies,’ Minister Grlić-Radman added. He recognised that Croatia has a special place in building European peace.
The President of the Croatian Pan-European Union, Pavo Barišić, described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a ‘Stalin follower’ who wants to restore the Soviet empire and thus undermine peace and stability in the West. ‘While Ukraine, Moldova and some countries in South-East Europe want to break away from Russian influence and turn to the West, the imperialists are against this and want to build their power on Anti-Western coalitions,’ said Barišić.
The chairman of the Croatian Pan-European Union branch in Split, Ivan Pavić, was of the opinion that the European Union should make greater use of its diplomatic power to include all the countries of the Western Balkans in the EU.
As part of the conference, a meeting of the Presidency Council of the International Pan-European Union took place on 27 October 2024.
Programme (EN) (PDF)