NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called for a more political Alliance on Friday 4 June, when he presented his objectives for the summit scheduled for 14 June in Brussels. These objectives are part of the Alliance’s 2030 reform project.
According to Mr Stoltenberg, the leaders will strengthen NATO “as the unique and indispensable forum for transatlantic consultations on all issues that affect transatlantic security”, including, for example, Syria, Iran, and the South China Sea.
As he likes to point out, NATO is not only a military alliance, but a politico-military alliance. “Even when we may not take military action, our political unity matters. So we must use NATO even more to address our differences, forge a common understanding, and coordinate our responses: military, economic and diplomatic”, explained the Secretary General at an event organised by NATO, the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), and The Brookings Institution.
According to Mr Stoltenberg, the Alliance must also play its part in maintaining the rules-based international order “by speaking with one voice to defend our values and interests and encourage others to play by the rules”.
The Secretary General also stressed the importance of strengthening existing partnerships—notably with the EU—and forging new ones with like-minded countries, especially in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Asked about the EU, he said he was “proud” that in recent years the two organisations had been able to take their cooperation to unprecedented levels, and that it should continue to be extended and intensified (see EUROPE 12734/8). While Mr Stoltenberg acknowledged the EU’s defence efforts, he warned that “[the] EU cannot defend Europe. The EU cannot replace NATO as a cornerstone for European security”, he added, warning that any attempt to weaken the link between Europe and North America within the Alliance “will not only weaken NATO, it will divide Europe”.
The Alliance also wants to step up its support for partners—currently Iraq, Jordan, Georgia, and Ukraine—in training and capacity building in areas such as counter-terrorism, cyber attacks, crisis management, and defence reform, according to Mr Stoltenberg.
Although not all Allies share his motivation on this issue, the Secretary General once again called for enhanced work on climate change (see EUROPE 12651/23). “My ambition is to have a clear political commitment at the Summit to significantly reduce military emissions, contributing to net-zero”, he explained. He said the Allies would conduct an Alliance-wide assessment of their assets and facilities, integrate climate change into planning and exercises, partner with industry to provide climate-neutral capabilities, and prioritise sustainable technologies in procurement.
The Summit should also be an opportunity to strengthen the Allies’ commitment to their collective defence and to develop Alliance-wide resilience goals.
Leaders are expected to agree to the creation of a technology “accelerator” to foster greater cooperation between the Allies (see EUROPE 12732/20).
Finally, Allies should agree to develop NATO’s next Strategic Concept, including adapting it to the changing security environment. According to Mr Stoltenberg, when the Allies approve the new concept, the drafting of which will begin after the summit, China, which is not mentioned in the 2010 concept, “will play a more important role than ever”.
“And finally, to do all of this we need to invest more”, the Secretary General reiterated. The Allies have committed themselves to the goal of having defence spending amount to 2% of their GDP by 2024. While Europe and Canada have been increasing their defence spending for 7 consecutive years, the differences between the Allies are still significant (see EUROPE 12679/22).
For Mr Stoltenberg, it is also necessary that NATO’s jointly funded budget be increased. Several Allies, including France, are reportedly opposed to the increase, which would amount to €20 billion over 10 years, according to diplomats. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)