April 21, 2022

The EEB, SDG Watch Europe, the European Youth Forum and SOLIDAR, with the support of 65+ other civil society organisations, call for solidarity and a strong commitment to the ecological and social transition for resilience, energy independence and peace.

Russia’s war against Ukraine is a horrific act of aggression and a failure of diplomacy. It is a turning point in history – for Ukraine, for Europe and for the international order. The conflict has demonstrated the lengths to which the Kremlin will go to push its agenda. It has also revealed the EU’s deeply compromising dependence on Russian fossil fuels. We cannot ignore that we live in a world where autocratic regimes can and will wage war and seek to undermine the multilateral democratic order. Our way of life, politics and governance need to adapt to this new reality.

The European Union today is essentially a peace project as it was conceived of in the aftermath of the two horrendous world wars that wrecked Europe and embroiled the world. Politicians said ’never again’. The EU must stand in solidarity with Ukraine and those fleeing from the war, while isolating Putin’s regime politically and economically. At the same time, we cannot lose track of our path and need the EU to respond with a clear commitment to accelerate the green and just transition to ensure our sustainability, resilience and independence.

SOLIDAR, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), the European Youth Forum (YFJ) and SDG Watch Europe, together with 65 other members of civil society, ask that decision-makers across the EU recognise the fundamental need to work together as never before for our common future and commit to:

• Call for immediate peace and stand in solidarity
• End all Russian fossil fuel imports and commit to accelerating the path to full independence from fossil fuels
• Ensure a socially just ecological transition away from fossil fuel and material dependency
• Resist false and short-term solutions
• Stand up for EU values and human rights globally