Munich, 8 February 2010 - Robert Walter MP, President of the European Security and Defence Assembly, addressed the Munich Security Conference (5-7 February 2010) on the subject of EU-NATO relations. The entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty was a good starting point for a new process of reflection on EU-NATO relations, he felt. The next NATO summit in Lisbon in November 2010 and the scheduled adoption of NATO’s new strategic concept during the summit should pave the way for better relations between the two organisations and provide clarification as to who was responsible for Europe’s security south of its borders. While cooperation between the EU and NATO was satisfactory at the operational level, improvements were needed in particular at the political level.

During the session on the future of European and global security, President Walter asked Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos about coordination problems between EU and NATO operations in the Horn of Africa and how different issues such as terrorism and migration were being addressed by the various actors in the region. He also raised the matter of communication difficulties and NATO’s refusal to allow EU naval units to use the Alliance’s communications set-up. Given the various NATO and EU operations deployed in the Mediterranean and off the coast of Somalia, he asked ”who is responsible for security on Europe’s southern flank?”

Mr Moratinos replied that NATO had been “shy” with regard to North Africa and that Spain was trying to help NATO develop a southern dimension. EU-NATO relations were currently “blocked” and at a “standstill”. It was necessary to explore new ways for the two organisations to cooperate and what the EU could contribute. It was important that EU activities should not be perceived as a duplication of effort.

Later in the conference, NATO SACEUR Admiral James Stavridis called on governments to provide the military with an “effective modus vivendi” between the EU and NATO. The counter-piracy operations off Somalia were an excellent example of the complementarity of the two organisations. The recent successful joint counter-piracy operation by Danish special forces and French, Indian and Russian ships was an example of the future of security cooperation.