Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed European Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska to NATO.
According to a press release, the high-level representative of the European Union briefed the North Atlantic Council on the latest developments regarding the European Defence Action Plan and the European Defence Fund.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly stressed that a more robust European defence would contribute to fairer trans-Atlantic burden-sharing, and would strengthen NATO. The European Defence Action Plan and the European Defence Fund can help make Europe safer by offering valuable opportunities to acquire new defence capabilities and reduce market fragmentation in Europe.
Commissioner Bieńkowska’s visit is part of the active dialogue between NATO and the EU. This dialogue is testimony to the commitment to security, mutual transparency and close coordination that NATO shares with the EU.
Keep smiling and pretending that the Europe will continue to pay for 2 competing military mega-bureaucracies.
The EU wouldn’t have become a military alliance a decade ago had the not intended on replacing NATO one day.
NATO need to put up or shut up.
Otherwise its decline is certain.
NATO (the USA) has been putting up for decades, since before the EU even existed ! I am by no means a cheerleader for the US but the lack of humility, grace and gratitude shown to the US from many European nations makes me cringe and squirm with embarrassment.
And now NATO needs to reaffirm itself again.
Everyone knows that the continent cannot support two overlapping and redundant alliances competing for ever more meager resources.
NATO appears to be sleepwalking to its own demise.
The EU military alliance has its eyes on NATO, Stoltenberg just smiles and shakes hands.
Steven – You are so right there. The rest of the EU has been freeloading off us and to a greater extent the USA since WWII. It is time for the UK and the USA to say ‘OK then EU. Go your own way and fight your battles, defend your own countries and then maybe realise what that costs in money and commitments.’
We are part of the most critical and effective anti-war and anti-terrorism structure called ‘The Five Eyes’ which stretches from the UK to the USA and Canada and across to Australia and New Zealand. It is no coincidence they are all English speaking countries and every one has their roots in the British Empire and British tradition. Yes including the USA! We all therefore believe in certain freedoms and are prepared to do what it takes to preserve said freedoms. The EU does not share either those beliefs or the commitments. They are heading into a federal United States of Soviet Socialist Europe and we are thankfully leaving it.
So a first step would be to withdraw NATO led UK Typhoons and US F-15s from the Baltic States and all the US and British Army armoured and infantry divisions in Eastern Europe. THEN let the EU take our place. We saw how useless they were in the Balkans but it is really no longer our concern.
I largely agree with much of what Chris and Steven have said. However Baltic states will be invaded if we withdraw NATO forces from them. That would be a crime against humanity and a stain against democracy.
Instead NATO should insist on greater expenditure by these countries.
I agree the NATO organisation is being undermined by the bloody freeloading spoilt and selfish EU and the collection of back slapping, champagne drinking, self congratulating, corrupt, caviar eating commissioners.
Either EU abandons its military dream or NATO has to end. You cannot have an organisation within an organisation.
Trump is right about a lot of things and actually only says what others are to afraid to verbalise.
The EU is an engine for Germanic domination of Europe
The European NATO countries need to either spend more on defence or subsidise those countries whose forces defend them. Germany, Denmark, Holland, Austria, Czech and Slovak republics, Hungary, Italy, Spain should all be paying USA, UK, France for our nuclear deterrent that they all live collectively under its defensive umbrella. They should pay for our SSNs only USA, France and UK operate nuclear powered attack submarines. They should subsidise our carrier strike reinvigoration.
I would love Trump and May to be united on this approach and call those EU nations out. Time to put up or shut up!