The Political-Military Group discussed lessons learned from EU training missions

Met dank overgenomen van Bulgaars voorzitterschap Europese Unie 1e helft 2018 (Bulgaars voorzitterschap) i, gepubliceerd op maandag 26 maart 2018.

The informal meeting of the Political-Military Group to the Council of the European Union (PMG) took place on 22-23 March 2018 in Sofia. The meeting was attended by representatives of all member states and the European External Action Service (EEAS).

At the opening of the meeting, the delegates were welcomed by Ms Rositsa Dimitrova, Director of the Defence Policy Directorate at the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence, who addressed the present-day challenges to European security and the priorities in the area of defence of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Two working sessions, which focused on the political and strategic lessons learned from the EU training missions and the delivery of the Union’s public communication in the sphere of security and defence, were held in the framework of the meeting.

The participants in the meeting also visited the “Georgi S. Rakovski” National Military Academy where Major General Grudi Angelov, Commandant of this higher education institution, introduced the history, architecture, courses of study and programmes to the guests. Colonel Vasil Rusinov, Director of the NATO Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence (CMDR COE), briefed the participants on the structure, activities and projects of the Centre and its efforts in support of the EU.

The event was organised by the Defence Policy Directorate of the Ministry of Defence with the support of the Ministry of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2018 and the kind hospitality of Boyana Residence, “G.S.Rakovski” National Military Academy and the National Museum of Military History.

Background

The Political-Military Group is a body carrying out preparatory discussions on issues and decisions in the area of the political and military aspects of the Common Security and Defence Policy to be subsequently entered in the agenda of the Political and Security Committee (PSC) and the Council of the EU in the Foreign Ministers and/or Ministers of Defence format.