THERE has been a media debate in a week which marked Europe Day, an annual celebration of peace and unity in Europe, about whether it is NATO or the EU which has kept the peace on the continent.

NATO is a military alliance which works on the premise that to ensure peace you have to prepare for war. It has neither the doctrine, personnel, tools, budget or institutions to undertake nation building or assist in transitions to democracy, the rule of law, or human rights.

However, the states of the European Union are not all NATO members. What they do have in common is membership of the less well known Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe(OSCE) which should be lauded for its achievements in mediation and negotiation between potentially antagonistic groups in various parts of Europe. Conflicts which could have arisen between Russian minorities and majority populations in many Eastern European states after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 were prevented in part by OSCE action.

The EU, by supporting the OSCE, has helped countries overcome dictatorship, democratise, reform their constitutions and improve public services. In 2012 the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for its efforts.

Radical reductions in nuclear weapons in Europe have been part of this process, so it is unfortunate that the UK is to spend £207bn on the Trident programme. The attack by Argentina on the Falklands disproves the idea that British nuclear weapons are a "deterrent", there can therefore be no argument for raiding the defence budget to maintain weapons no sane person would use.

Peace is a condition achieved through determination and wilful action, not through the threat of military might. The EU’s democratic nations working together can and do achieve this. This year we would be wise to remind ourselves of the legacy of peace and prosperity the architects of the EU have left us and defend it by remaining a part of the EU.

STEVE DAWE

Oxfordshire Green Party

Bulan Road

Oxford