Filenews 26 February 2021
The will of the 27 to act more strategically to protect the EU's interests and defend its values was reaffirmed by the 27 Heads of State or Government on the second day of the European Council teleconference.
European Council President Charles Michel, presenting the leaders' meetings, noted that "a stronger EU means a stronger NATO" and the EU's aim will now be strong cooperation with the US. He stressed that "we are ready to do our part for the new transatlantic relationship" and pointed to increased investment in defence, cybersecurity, countering hybrid threats and misinformation. Finally, it announced the target of adopting the EU's strategic compass by March 2022.
In particular, in a joint statement adopted by the 27 stress that we remain committed to implementing the strategic agenda 2019-2024, following a more strategic course of action and increasing the EU's ability to act autonomously.
Especially with regard to security and defence, the 27 declare their willingness to promote the eu's interests and values, as well as its resilience and readiness to effectively address all security threats and challenges.
They reaffirm that, in the face of increased global instability, the EU must take greater responsibility for its security.
At the same time, however, the 27 are committed to working closely with NATO, in full respect of the principles set out in the Treaties and those agreed by the European Council, and to strengthening cooperation with the UN and key regional partners.
The 27 also express hope for cooperation with the new United States administration on a strong and ambitious transatlantic agenda, including a close dialogue on security and defence. But they note that this global cooperation "will benefit from a stronger EU in the field of security and defence".
The 27 also record that important measures have already been taken to strengthen the EU's security and defence policies, tools and instruments.
They aim to further deepen security and defence cooperation between Member States, increase defence investment and enhance the development of civilian and military capabilities and operational readiness within the Union, and commit themselves to:
- strengthening the Union's political and military operational commitment, including through improved force building, more effective EU planning and command and a strong implementation of the European Peace Mechanism, which should be put into operation quickly;
- encouraging Member States to make better use of the cooperation opportunities identified in the Coordinated Annual Defence Review (CARD) and the full use of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) to enhance investment, preparedness and the development of collaborative capabilities;
- strengthening the technological and industrial base of European defence, including through the rapid adoption, entry into force and operation of the European Defence Fund, and by strengthening synergies between political, defence and space industries, including the field of Artificial Intelligence and innovative technologies, and the participation of SMEs. The 27 note that this should support the EU's resilience to critical technologies and strategic value chains. To this end, they call on the Commission to present a technological roadmap by October 2021 to strengthen research, technological development and innovation and reduce our strategic dependencies on critical technologies and value chains;
- providing secure European access to global audiences (including space, cyberspace and the high seas), as well as improved military mobility throughout the Union.
Taking into account the increasing number and complexity of cyber threats, 27 say they aim to strengthen European resilience and cyber response and improve the cyber crisis management framework.
Following the cyber security strategy presented in December 2020, they invite the Commission and the High Representative to report on implementation by June 2021.
In addition, they call on co-legislatures to move quickly on the necessary legislative work, in particular on the revised Network Safety and Information Systems Directive (NIS Directive 2).
They also call for greater cooperation and coordination to prevent and address hybrid threats, including misinformation, including involving the private sector and relevant international actors.
The High Representative presented the ongoing efforts towards an ambitious Strategic Compass to guide the further implementation of the EU's level of security and defence ambition. We call on the High Representative, together with the Member States, to promote work on the Strategic Compass, using the entire EU toolkit, with a view to its adoption by March 2022.
Security and defence will be subject to regular review by the European Council.
Finally, the 27 of us discussed the political and strategic nature of the EU's partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood, reaffirmed the conclusions of the December 2020 European Council and called on the Council to consider the implementation of the Joint Communication of the Commission and the High Representative on a renewed and strengthened partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood with a view to addressing common challenges and exploiting common opportunities through enhanced cooperation.
Source: eyenews/CYPE
