The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group last week adopted positions on the future development of common actions in the fields of security and defense. Annemie Neyts, President of the ELDR Party and ALDE group spokesperson on foreign affairs commented, “A vibrant EU and NATO partnership should allow for greater maximisation of the assets of both organisations and ensure effective cooperation by putting an end to institutional bickering. In order to work towards security within the EU, cooperation between ESDP and NATO has to be intensified”.

The report concluded that the future collective defence of the EU should be organised in cooperation with NATO and that new security risks require closer coordination in the areas of planning, technology, equipment and training.

The ELDR manifesto, adopted in Stockholm last autumn, calls for major new efforts to strengthen and extend the European Security and Defence Policy by bringing together European defence-related resources and capabilities and for the EU to play an important role in contributing to global security by cooperating, where appropriate, with NATO structures.