Informele ontmoeting over Europese defensie- en veiligheidspolitiek (en)

On 17-18 September, Vilnius hosted an informal meeting of EU Security Policy Directors, which discussed key issues on the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) agenda and the preparation for the European Council in December with discussions on the future of European security and defence.

The meeting was chaired by Maciej Popowski, Deputy Secretary General for the European External Action Service, and Gediminas Varvuolis, Director of the Transatlantic Cooperation and Security Policy Department.

The participants of the meeting addressed issues that were being actively raised by Lithuania’s Presidency of the EU Council: the promotion of political dialogue and practical cooperation with the EU’s Eastern Partnership countries in the fields of security and defence, the engagement of partners in the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy through participation in training and crisis management missions, as well as support for security sector reform in partner countries. When speaking about practical participation of the Eastern Partnership countries in the EU crisis management operations, G.Varvuolis noted that the EU could be more active in engaging partner countries in EU training courses, as well as missions and operations.

The topic of security partnerships dominated also a discussion after a speech by Dr. Antonio Missiroli, Director of the European Union Institute for Security Studies, on the European strategic security environment, emerging security threats and challenges faced by European countries, and the emergence of new power centres in the world. Many representatives from the EU Member States supported Lithuania’s aim to develop partnerships with countries of the Eastern neighbourhood. It was noted at the meeting that the enhancement of CSDP cooperation contributed to creating a secure environment, improved EU citizens’ security and economic well-being.

G.Varvuolis presented another Lithuanian initiative, which received much attention - the initiative to promote practical security cooperation between the EU and NATO in order to ensure that capabilities of these organizations do not duplicate, but rather complement each other. Most EU Member States supported this Lithuanian initiative as a timely one and expressed their hope that the decisions of the European Council in December would lead to closer cooperation between the organisations in planning and developing their military capabilities.

G.Varvuolis also raised issues related to energy security and energy efficiency in warfare, and called on his counterparts to consider the need to review the 2003 European Security Strategy, because the EU’s strategic environment has changed dramatically over the past decade.

The rotating EU Presidency holds the informal meeting of EU Security Policy Directors once in six months to address CSDP issues.