On Monday 1 December, European defence ministers expressed their desire to strengthen defence cooperation.
“We want to make more acquisitions jointly, more quickly, and focus on important areas for the future. The funds we are investing together will enable us to optimise the use of available and shared resources”, explained German Sebastian Hartmann.
The Swedish minister, Pål Jonson, pointed out that while NATO was responsible for military requirements and defence planning, “in terms of funding, joint procurement and strengthening the European defence industrial base, the EU could play a central role”. He felt that things were moving in the right direction. “It is essential to increase our joint purchases and cooperation”, added Luxembourg Minister, Yuriko Backes.
Facilitating military mobility. Ministers also welcomed the European Commission’s proposal on military mobility (see EUROPE 13755/1).
“Military mobility is an example of joint procurement and collaborative action. It is also crucial for our deterrent capability to be able to deploy troops and equipment across Europe”, explained Sebastian Hartmann. He added: “Germany is working with its partners to achieve this. This will enable us to move troops more quickly from the Netherlands, via Germany, to Poland, on our northern and north-eastern flanks”.
Military mobility “is an excellent area for cooperation between the EU and NATO. (...) The objective we are all pursuing is to create a Schengen area dedicated to military mobility”, said Pål Jonson.
Implementing flagship projects. Ministers also discussed flagship defence projects (see EUROPE 13732/1).
The Lithuanian and Latvian ministers highlighted the line of defence to the east of the EU and NATO. “This is a coordinated effort and action by the European Union, NATO and the Member States to strengthen our eastern border. The next step is to prepare an Eastern Flank Watch proposal in order to respond to priority needs, especially in terms of capabilities, in particular UAVs and anti-UAV systems”, explained Latvia’s Liene Gatere, inviting other EU countries to support the initiative.
Lithuania’s Karolis Aleksa called for innovative solutions to the problem of weather balloons being sent over his country, which have again led to the closure of Vilnius airport. “Tests are therefore constantly being carried out (to bring down the balloons), but there is no miracle solution at the moment. We are actively working on this. Technically, it’s a huge challenge, because these balloons go up very high and bringing them back down is technically complex at such an altitude, especially in the current weather conditions”, he explained.
“Flagship projects are essential if we are to focus collectively on our most pressing needs. For Luxembourg, the ‘space defence shield’ is essential”, explained Yuriko Backes, adding that her country had expertise and added value in this area. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)