EU and NATO leaders discuss security priorities for Europe

Mr Stoltenberg joined European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel at EU headquarters in Brussels, where they addressed other EU leaders via video conference.

Ahead of the meeting, in a press conference with Mr. Michel, Mr. Stoltenberg said that NATO troops are cooperating with civilian structures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to set up military hospitals on the ground, transport patients and medical equipment. , among other efforts. He said their main focus is to ensure that the health crisis does not turn into a security crisis.

But, Mr Stoltenberg said, the alliance ‘s core role is to act as a link between North America and Europe, and he welcomed the strong message from US President Joe Biden about his commitment to rebuilding alliances with Europe.

Mr Michel agreed, saying he was “fully convinced” that President Biden’s administration offered a unique opportunity to strengthen the partnership between NATO and the EU.

In a press conference after the security meeting, Ms. Von der Leyen said that cooperation with NATO was a key priority, but, reflecting the views of other key EU members, said that the bloc, “as a whole , has more stabilization and security tasks than tasks within NATO. “And for that, we have to be prepared.”

Member states Germany and France have pushed for “strategic autonomy” within the bloc, especially after what they called former US President Donald Trump’s vague stance on the United States’ traditional European allies. They said they believed Europe should be able to stand alone.

The French news agency reports on a draft of conclusions from Friday’s meeting indicating that the union leadership will reaffirm that “in the face of growing global instability, the EU must take more responsibility for its security”, but no announcements are expected. new concrete.

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