EU - NATO cooperation: COUNCIL AND EU INSTITUTIONS

Ambassadors from the EU’s Political and Security Committee (PSC) and NATO’s North Atlantic Council (NAC) met at the Palais d’Egmont in Brussels on 28 May to discuss how to enhance support for Ukraine, building on the military, financial and humanitarian assistance provided since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion.

EU-NATO cooperation constitutes an integral pillar of the EU’s work on European security and defence. The strategic partnership between the two organisations fosters the transatlantic bond, while EU defence initiatives enhance the European contribution
to transatlantic burden-sharing. A stronger EU and a stronger NATO are mutually reinforcing. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the long-lasting effects it will have on the European security order, has brought the EU and NATO closer than ever. The EU and NATO have shown strong transatlantic unity in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The security of the EU and NATO are inter-connected. By working together, they can make the best use of resources and of respective toolboxes to address challenges and enhance the security of their citizens.

On 10 February 2016, the European Union and NATO signed a Technical Arrangement between the NATO Computer Incident Response Capability (NCIRC) and the Computer Emergency Response Team – European Union (CERT-EU).

The EU Military Staff are the source of military expertise within the European External Action Service (EEAS). The EUMS role is to provide early warning, situation assessment, strategic planning, Communications and Information Systems, concept development, training & education, and support of partnerships. One of its mission is to prepare for EU operations having recourse to NATO common assets and capabilities under Berlin plus arrangements and to support DSACEUR in his role as a potential operational commander for an EU-led operation. It contributes to full transparency between NATO and the EU embodying their strategic partnership in crisis management.

This report includes a point on: EU-NATO cooperation. [The European Parliament]:
174. Stresses the importance of the EU’s strategic partnership with NATO, in full respect of the agreed guiding principles of transparency, reciprocity and inclusiveness, as well as respect for the decision-making autonomy and procedures of each organisation; highlights that NATO and the EU play complementary, coherent and mutually reinforcing roles in supporting international peace and security and thus avoiding the duplication of defence efforts, while maintaining strong close cooperation; welcomes the accession of Sweden to NATO in 2024, and that of Finland in 2023, representing a historic step forward in strengthening security in Europe, notably in the Baltic sea region; calls on the VP/HR to operate in close coordination and unity with the NATO Secretary General;
175. Calls for further deepening of EU-NATO cooperation by building on the EU’s Strategic Compass and NATO’s new Strategic Concept, including in the fields of cybersecurity, hybrid warfare, counter terrorism, military mobility, dual-use infrastructure, conflict prevention and crisis management, military-security cooperation, countering malicious foreign interference from third countries, a coordinated approach in the Indo-Pacific, as well as increasing common action on the international stage to protect democracy; strongly supports NATO’s Open Door Policy; invites the EU and NATO to reinforce their cooperation on supporting the capacity-building of common partners;
176. Stresses the constant need for alignment among states that are both EU and NATO members and the obligation under Articles 1 and 3 of the NATO charter for cooperation, self-help and mutual aid; calls on the EU to step up its efforts on common security and defence initiatives wherever there is no NATO equivalent, to increase standardisation, improve interoperability and develop common operating procedures between Member States’ and the EU’s defence capabilities;
177. Commends the close EU-NATO cooperation in the Western Balkans, including through EUFOR Operation Althea and the KFOR military operations, which guarantee the necessary stability for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and the wider region;

On Monday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will make his first official visit to the European Parliament since taking office on 1 October 2024.

A full, 10-member delegation of the European Parliament to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (DNAT) attended the 70th Annual Session in Montréal, 22-25 November. More than 250 MPs of the 32 Allies and partners engaged in discussions on the many challenges facing the Euro-Atlantic area and the rules-based international order. They also adopted 15 reports and 5 resolutions, elected the new Assembly leadership, including President Perestrello.

"[The European Parliament]
13. Reiterates the need for the Member States to make collective and well-coordinated investments in defence and calls for the full and swift implementation of the Strategic Compass, integrating the lessons learnt from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, with the objective of achieving a genuine European Defence Union that is interoperable and complementary with the NATO alliance and can act independently when needed;
14. Highlights, in particular, the need to engage further with NATO on the establishment of the Rapid Deployment Capacity and urges the Member States to ensure that the Military Planning and Conduct Capability is fully operational by 2025;
39. Notes the necessity of ensuring unity, coherence and complementarity of efforts between the EU and NATO in upholding international peace and security; underlines that NATO remains the cornerstone of European security and calls for cooperation between NATO and the EU to be enhanced further while strengthening the European pillar within NATO, inter alia by consistently meeting NATO’s defence spending benchmark of 2 % of gross domestic product; calls for greater cooperation with NATO on fighting disinformation and hybrid threats originating from third countries;"

MEPs call on NATO allies to honour their commitment to Ukraine and pave the way for Kyiv to be invited to join the defence alliance.

On 25 April, a Public Hearing on EU-NATO cooperation will take place in the framework of a SEDE ordinary meeting. The Hearing will focus on the follow-up of the Madrid Summit, where Members have set new strategic directions for the Alliance and reinforced NATO's deterrent posture on the eastern flank and sent a strong message to Russia about its unity in the face of aggression against Ukraine.

European Parliament resolution of 7 July 2021 on EU-NATO cooperation in the context of transatlantic relations

As Europe faces an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape, the need for a strong, unified approach to defence funding has never been more urgent. In response to a request from the upcoming Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU and at a time of escalating security threats, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has adopted an opinion calling for decisive action: strengthen EU defence through substantial investment in modern systems, deepen cooperation with NATO, and secure increased funding within the broader EU financial framework.