The Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Pedro Serrano, called for greater cooperation between the Commissioners responsible for Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence on Monday 9 September, on the eve of the von der Leyen Commission's presentation.
Stressing that the EU had a set of instruments that it could deploy, the Deputy Secretary General hoped, before the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Security and Defence, that President-elect Ursula von der Leyen would help to create "a configuration that will facilitate cooperation between all Commissioners in External Affairs, Security and Defence, so that we can really deliver this global effect".
According to him, the EU is an "incomparable" platform for tackling the challenges facing Europeans, and Member States, in isolation, will not be able to deal effectively with these challenges. "Ad hoc coalitions will not be enough", he warned. However, Mr Serrano recalled that the EU must also work with partners such as NATO.
The Deputy Secretary General also reviewed one of Europe's flagship projects for defence: permanent structured cooperation (PESCO). He announced that a new round of projects is expected to be approved in November. PESCO already has 34 projects.
But for Mr Serrano, the projects are not the priority. According to him, "we must start with the 20 commitments and then develop the projects". Member States participating in PESCO have agreed to implement 20 binding commitments to be met by 2025. The Deputy Secretary General compared PESCO to a club. "You have to pay your membership fee in order to be able to play", he said.
A diplomat, however, Mr Serrano felt that no matter what had to be done first, "projects must be in compliance with commitments". (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)