The Czech Foreign Minister, Jan Lipavský, and Defence Minister, Jana Černochová, called for closer cooperation between the EU and NATO, on Friday 8 July, during meetings with European journalists in Prague, including EUROPE.
“The priorities in the field of defence are quite clear, they are defined by the conflict in the East. The priorities are a strong and secure Europe”, Ms Černochová explained, making strengthening cooperation between the EU and NATO a priority. “The security of NATO’s space is based on the cooperation of both entities”, she said.
For the Foreign Minister, the large number of countries that are members of both NATO and the EU - 21 and Finland and Sweden are candidates for NATO membership - and the clear political alignment of NATO’s Strategic Concept and the EU’s ‘Strategic Compass’ show “the obvious need to strive for closer cooperation”. “It is in the interest of all EU and NATO member states”, the minister explained, adding that it was important to have an agreement on how to proceed.
Therefore, “during our Presidency, the joint declaration should be adopted. It will define other areas of cooperation such as military mobility and space”, the defence minister announced. This new declaration, the third after those of 2016 and 2018, has been expected for several months. During the Czech Presidency, a new plan on military mobility should also be presented by the European Commission.
Reviewing the taxonomy
The Czech Presidency also advocates for the implementation of the EU’s ‘Strategic Compass’, adopted in March. One of its priorities is also to support capacity building and SMEs in the defence industries. Like her former French counterpart, Florence Parly (see EUROPE 12885/12), Ms Černochová warned against the taxonomy, saying it could prevent the provision of loans to defence industries. “This has to be changed”, she explained, without giving further details. “This is very problematic for the defence industry, it should be a priority for all of us”, the minister pleaded, adding that industries were already excluded from green funds and that banks were not ready to provide guarantees in some cases. She said that taxonomy could be a problem because defence companies could leave Europe. “We want them to prosper in our countries”, she added.
Continued military support to Ukraine
The minister of defence emphasised continued support for the Ukrainian armed forces. “Another priority is to help Ukraine. During the Presidency, we will try to ensure that support continues during the conflict and during post-war reconstruction”, explained Jana Černochová, saying she hoped that this second phase will start soon.
However, according to Ukrainian specialists in Prague, this conflict could last for months or even years. For Oksana Osadcha, from the NATO representation in Kyiv, it is important that the supply of military equipment, in particular aircraft or air defence, continues in order to protect what could already begin to be rebuilt.
The defence minister, who would not give details for security reasons, explained that her country had sent Soviet-era technology that was “not complicated to use and without intellectual property rights”. She said that the Czech Republic had sent tanks to Ukraine and had received more modern tanks from Germany.
Ms Černochová also argued for an extension of the European Peace Facility (EPF), while explaining that her country had not yet been reimbursed by the Facility. “In my opinion, the EPF should be extended, the backlog of resources should be accelerated. This is something we want to work on during our Presidency”, she warned.
Maritime Security
Finally, and most surprisingly, given that the Czech Republic is a landlocked country, Ms Černochová wants to work on maritime safety. “We don’t have any ships, but that’s not a problem. Our Portuguese partner will help us”, she explained. “Our main common goal is to update the EU Maritime Security Strategy and its action plan, in line with the Strategic Compass”, explained the ministry’s spokesperson, Jakub Fajnor.
Activities in the maritime domain will also focus on building resilience to cyber and hybrid threats, improving maritime surveillance of our areas of interest and cooperating on a coordinated maritime presence in the Gulf of Guinea and in the north-west of the Indian Ocean, he added.
From a technical point of view, the Czech Republic handed over the chair of the Working Party on Maritime Issues and the Subgroup on the EU Maritime Security Strategy to Portugal in the EU Council.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Asked about the EU Althea mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose mandate is up for renewal by the UN Security Council in November - which requires Russia’s agreement - Jana Černochová said that, if the mission was blocked, other options were possible. “Our military presence in Bosnia is very important, we have to prepare actively to find a proper solution, with multiple options”, Mr Lipavský added. According to him, the EU countries must be ready to take care of the country, if Althea is not renewed. He did not rule out the possibility of an EU CSDP mission. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)