Madrid, 26 May 2022 (TDI): Daniel del Valle, High Representative for Youth at International Human Rights Foundation attended the NATO-EU Complementarity discussion session.

The German Ambassador in Madrid, Wolfgang Dold, Article 30 (A30), and Goethe-Institut MAD organized the ‘NATO- EU Complementarity-A German point of view’ discussion session.

German Ambassador Wolfgang Dold, Colonel Harald Wegener, Laura Moussa, and María Muñoz were speakers at the discussion session.

EU-NATO Relations

The European Union (EU) and NATO work together on issues of common interest. More to this they work side by side in crisis management, capability development, and political consultations.

Also, they provide support to their common partners in the south and the east. Therefore, the EU is an essential partner for NATO and both organizations have common values and share a majority of members.

At the same time, they face threats and challenges that are similar. Access to NATO’s planning capabilities for the EU’s own military operations was reaffirmed by the 2002 NATO-EU Declaration on a European Security and Defence Policy.

The Allies’ determination to improve the NATO-EU strategic partnership was underlined at the Lisbon Summit in 2010. Due to the 2010 Strategic Concept, the Alliance committed to working closely with other international organizations.

It was in order to prevent crises and manage conflicts as well as stabilize post-conflict situations. In July 2016 both organizations summarized areas for strengthened cooperation.

Following this, in December 2016, the Foreign Ministers of NATO supported a statement whereby 42 common measures were added for advancing NATO-EU cooperation. Whilst, further 32 measures agreed also in 2017 December.

On 2018 July 10, both organizations agreed in a joint declaration to concentrate on swift progress in military mobility, counter-terrorism and strengthening resilience to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear-related risks.

Moreover, it also included promoting women, peace, and security agenda. Thereby, Allied leaders received the joint declaration in July 2018 at the Brussels Summit.

Their close cooperation is significant in the development of an international “comprehensive approach” to managing crises and operations. Which needs the effective application of civilian and military means.

All in all, their political dialogue encompasses the whole spectrum of issues related to them. These include the geopolitical implications of COVID-19, cyber and hybrid threats, Russia, China, the Western Balkans, the Middle East, and Afghanistan.