EU Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers met in Brest on Thursday 13 January for a working lunch where the debate over the ‘strategic compass’ was “lively”, according to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.
“After a long discussion, the conditions have been met” to be able to come up with a draft for the March European Council, said the French Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian.
Mr Borrell said he was “optimistic” about it potentially being adopted in March, but acknowledged that there were still differences. Upon arriving at the Council, Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu gave an explanation, by way of example, that a number of components were missing from the text.
A new draft text was presented to delegations a few days ago. “Upon the request of Member States, some adjustments have been made that do not amend the text in any meaningful way”, Borrell told the press. In his opinion, some areas have been strengthened, such as the fight against terrorism or the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
When asked about rapid deployment capabilities, the High Representative confirmed that the proposal was still in the pipeline, while also adding that he was confident it would remain so.
After this discussion, a third version of the project is due to be presented soon. As for Mr Borrell, he stated that “we need a document that is able to cope with a changing reality”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)