The EU and NATO commit to extend their collaboration to take it “to the next level”

The European Union (EU) and the NATO have signed a new joint declaration to continue developing their cooperation after those promoted in 2016 and 2018, and which takes place on this occasion in the war context of aggression of Russia in Ukraine. The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, and the Presidents of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and of the European Council, Charles Michel, have signed the document at the headquarters of the Atlantic Alliance, in Brussels.

In a joint press conference, Stoltenberg has referred to the war in Ukraine as one of the challenges facing this alliance. He has assured that the Moscow regime wants a different Europe, “to control its neighbors and use democracy and freedom as a threat.” “This will have very lasting consequences for our security. We must continue to strengthen NATO’s transatlantic commitment, the partnership between NATO and the European Union and strengthen our support for Ukraine,” he stressed.

There are already two other previous declarations

In Warsaw, in July 2016the two organizations have already outlined the areas to strengthen their cooperation in light of the common challenges in the east and south and, in December of that year, the NATO foreign ministers approved a declaration with 42 common measures to promote NATO-EU cooperation. Later, in December 2017, another 32 measures were added to that document.

The second joint declaration between the EU and the Alliance was promoted on 10 July 2018and in it both organizations agreed to move quickly in the areas of military mobility, the fight against terrorism and strengthening resilience against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear risks, as well as promoting the women, peace and security agenda.

The Secretary General of the Alliance has underlined on various occasions the need to extend cooperation even more on military mobility, resilience to emerging and disruptive technologies, and the impact of climate change on security. The EU and NATO share 21 members who share the same values ​​and play complementary and reinforcing roles in support of international peace and security.

The Strategic Concept approved by NATO in 2022 describes the European Union as a unique and essential partner, and calls for an enhanced and strengthened strategic partnership. For NATO, the reinforcement that the EU is carrying out of its defense capabilities must be coherent and complementary to the Alliance’s efforts to avoid unnecessary duplication and contribute to burden sharing between Europe and North America.