EU defense ministers meet to discuss security, cooperation

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) – EU defense ministers met in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss the future of the bloc’s security and defense policy, cooperation with the US and other counties, as well as concerns over Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine.

EU defense ministers are expected to approve a negotiation mandate for the union's officials over the US participation in the projects of the European Defence Agency, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters before the meeting.

“This will open the door to start a dialogue on security and defense” with the US, he said, pointed out that “this was a request from the US.”

Borrell also explained that the ministers would approve a package of military projects under the framework of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), which will raise the total number of PESCO projects to 60.

According to Borrell, the 2017 agreement of 25 EU states to deepen defense cooperation via PESCO projects “will start delivering results in a couple of years as a new start of European defense.”

He said they will “talk about how to be more effective in Common Security and Defense Policy missions, especially in the Sahel and in partnership with third countries.”

The ministers will continue the discussion on the draft defense strategy called “Strategic Compass” presented by Borrell on Monday at a joint meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers.

The document is meant to serve as an operational guide for the bloc to develop security and defense capacities, as well as to make decision-making on the matter more effective.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will also join the EU defense ministers for a working lunch.

The large Russian military buildup in and around Ukraine that Stoltenberg called on Monday an “unusual concentration of forces” is not on the official agenda of ministers, but Borrell said they would certainly discuss it.