On Monday 18 September, Spain’s acting defence minister, Margarita Robles, stressed the importance of a Europe of values going hand in hand with a Europe of security and defence.
Presenting the priorities of the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council to the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defence, Ms Robles highlighted two overarching objectives: “strengthening European capabilities to protect European citizens” and promoting security in the EU environment “by defending the values embodied by the EU, which must be offered outside the EU as part of global security”.
The Spanish Presidency specified that, in order to achieve these objectives, it wanted to strengthen unity between Member States on all security and defence issues, develop defence capabilities by guaranteeing freedom of action through European forces, give impetus to the EU’s global influence and, finally, defend the security and defence of Europeans. “We need to promote our European values abroad by relying on solidarity and a spirit of cooperation, and by equipping ourselves with instruments that will enable us to strengthen our ties”, added the minister, specifying that the framework for this work was the ‘strategic compass’.
As part of the ‘compass’ initiative, the EU wants to set up a rapid reaction force. Ms Robles announced that the first exercise of this force would take place on 19 October in Cadiz.
As well as support for Ukraine, the Spanish minister spoke of Africa, where there has been a succession of coups d’état in recent years in the Sahel. “The situation in the Sahel is a key issue for the EU. The Sahel is the EU’s new southern border, and we must focus all our efforts on restoring stability to the Sahel, which must be our priority”, she insisted.
The minister felt that there was a “real rupture, a divorce” between the EU and Africa. She explained that several African interlocutors had told her that when the EU needs Africa, it can count on it, but that the reverse is not true. “The EU cannot turn its back on Africa”, she warned.
Ms Robles also called for access to common global spaces, highlighting space, cyberspace and the maritime sector, particularly in the Indo-Pacific and Gulf of Guinea regions. The fight against climate change in the field of defence, the role of women in peace and cooperation with NATO are other Spanish priorities. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)