On Wednesday 7 July, MEPs called for a stronger strategic partnership between the EU and the Atlantic Alliance.
“A reinvigorated strategic partnership between the EU and NATO is essential to meet the security challenges facing Europe and its neighbourhood”, says the report by Antonio López-Istúriz White (EPP, Spain), which was adopted by 493 votes to 90 with 103 abstentions.
The European Parliament believes that the transatlantic community can only succeed in meeting today’s challenges by strengthening cooperation and taking the partnership to a higher level.
Welcoming the progress made in the 74 joint action proposals, the MEPs consider that more political support is needed to ensure their full implementation and call for the establishment of flagship projects to strengthen ownership and make cooperation more tangible and result-oriented.
“Preserving political cohesion and unity and strengthening political consultation must be priorities for the EU-NATO partnership in order to better address common challenges”, they add.
The report also stresses the importance of cooperation between the two organisations in the Western Balkans, the instability in the southern and eastern regions, and the need to counteract malicious foreign interference in these areas.
The Parliament sees the work on the EU Strategic Compass (see EUROPE 12734/11) and the update of the Alliance’s Strategic Concept “as a unique opportunity to define clear priorities and identify further synergies to strengthen the transatlantic link and EU/NATO cooperation”. “These separate processes should (...) contribute, if necessary, to a better division of labour”, say MEPs.
Finally, in the Parliament’s view, a strong partnership between the EU and the US is essential for successful EU-NATO cooperation. The Parliament welcomed the new US Administration’s commitment to engage with EU and Alliance partners in all areas.
See the report: https://bit.ly/3dRzrtH (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)