On Tuesday 31 March, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the appointment of a group of ten experts to support his work in a reflection process aimed at further strengthening the Alliance’s political dimension.
Last November, France and Germany had separately proposed the creation of a Reflection Group on the Alliance (see EUROPE 12373/4). Leaders had agreed on a reflection process in December.
According to the NATO press release, the group of experts will report to the Secretary General. It will offer recommendations aimed at strengthening Alliance unity, increasing political consultation and coordination between Allies, as well as strengthening NATO's political role. The Group will engage in dialogue, including with the Allied capitals and the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s decision making body.
The group will be co-chaired by former German Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière and former US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Wess Mitchell.
It will be composed of five women: Anna Fotyga MEP, former Polish Foreign Minister and former Chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defence, Marta Dassù, former Italian Deputy Foreign Minister, Greta Bossenmaier, former National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Canadian Prime Minister, Anja Dalgaard-Nielsen, Danish counter-terrorism and security policy expert and Hema Verhagen from the Netherlands.
Hubert Védrine, former French Foreign Minister, Tacan Ildem (Turkey), Assistant to the Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, and John Bew (United Kingdom), Professor of History and Foreign Policy at King's College London, will round off this group. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)