The Portuguese Defence Minister, João Gomes Cravinho, advocated on Thursday 28 January for the strengthening of strategic dialogue in the security and defence dialogue with Africa (see EUROPE 12628/9).
“Security and peace-building in Africa is one of the most important elements in the consolidation of a European security and defence identity”, he explained during the presentation of the priorities of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council to the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defence.
In his view, a political dialogue with African regional organisations will increase the effectiveness of EU CSDP missions in Africa with more tailored mandates, more integrated approaches, and political intervention capacity. The Minister announced that a meeting with representatives of organisations such as the African Union, ECOWAS, ECCAS and the United Nations would be held on the sidelines of the informal Council of Defence Ministers on 2 and 3 March, normally held in Lisbon.
Portugal also wants to make maritime safety a priority of its Presidency. The EU has just launched the concept of a coordinated maritime presence in the Gulf of Guinea (see EUROPE 12643/12). “We are going to promote dialogue on the sidelines of the meeting of Defence Ministers on 4 May, with the G7++ of the Friends of the Gulf of Guinea”, announced Mr. Gomes Cravinho. “The lack of capacity among coastal States should encourage us to ensure the security of these waters”, he said, while the Gulf of Guinea is the world’s main site of piracy.
Transatlantic relations in the area of defence and cooperation with NATO is another area of work for the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council and will be discussed at the informal meeting in March. Portugal also wants to promote a strong and dynamic European defence economy and the strengthening of the Union’s resilience and capacity to respond to complex events, such as a pandemic. “We are going to promote a strategic and operational decision-making exercise to be better able to react together to a collective challenge”, explained Gomes Cravinho.
The Portuguese minister also announced the preparation of a scoping paper on the strategic compass. “After the conclusion of a joint risk analysis [under the German EU Council Presidency, editor’s note], we want to contribute to the editorial paper and to crystallize it during our Presidency. We want to encourage this necessary dialogue between Member States”, he explained.
He also specified that the framework document will be discussed at different levels, including the European Council and the Council of Ministers. “We hope to approve conclusions at the Council of Defence Ministers on 4 May”, he announced.
Beyond the institutional aspect, the minister explained that his country wants to contribute to the debate on the strategic compass by organising public events. “It is important to bring different visions to the debate so that the compass is not just a simple lowest common denominator, but a practical tool for our vision of the world and European strategic culture”, he explained.
The Presidency, which wants more political dialogue on military mobility, plans to organise a symposium with the European Defence Agency to bring together decision-makers on the challenges posed by military mobility. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)