Speaking at a European Union budget conference in Brussels on Monday (10 October 2022), Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană called for “strategic solidarity” between Europe and North America as the best response to a more dangerous and unpredictable security environment.
Mr Geoană praised the close collaboration between NATO and the EU, pointing out that 600 million Europeans already live in a NATO country, and that once Finland and Sweden join NATO, 96% of the EU population will be protected by the Alliance. NATO and the EU are working even more closely together than ever following Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, coordinating political, military, and economic responses. In a world of rising strategic competition and increasingly complex threats and challenges, including terrorism, climate change, new technologies, and China’s coercive policies, Europe and North America must deepen their cooperation and do even more together, Mr Geoană added.
The Deputy Secretary General was speaking at the European Commission’s Annual EU Budget Conference alongside Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Rasa Juknevičienė, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defence, and Alessandro Profumo, Chief Executive Officer of the Italian defence company Leonardo. The session was moderated by Paola Tamma, EU economy reporter for Politico.