Remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini upon arrival to the NATO Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs
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It is great to be back at the NATO Ministerial [Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs], as always to highlight the excellent EU-NATO cooperation in all different fields. It will be again, today, an occasion to continue our common work on the many different challenges we have, but also some opportunities to strengthen the security of our citizens. The EU and NATO have established now in the last year a very solid partnership and cooperation. We have 42 single projects we are implementing on a daily basis, so - as also my friend Jens Stoltenberg [NATO Secretary General] always says - the partnership between NATO and the European Union has never been as effective, practical and good as it is today. We will continue our work in this direction today.
Q. What are the fields where you are working on?
We are working daily on maritime security, both in the Mediterranean and in the Aegean [Sea]. We are working on cyber threats, we are working on hybrid threats and exchanging more and more practices, cooperation. Obviously we are two different organisations, we have two different natures I would say. NATO is a military alliance and the European Union is a regional organisation, but we share the same security area and we have different instruments that can complement each other very well.
I would maybe just take the opportunity also to say that even in these days, after the notification we have received from London, the European Union is continuing to strengthen its defence and security profile, as we have started to do in the course of last year.
I have seen that there have been considerations about how the UK leaving the European Union might affect the European Union's capacity to be a defence and security provider. I was just looking at the numbers, also today with Michel Barnier [Chief Negotiator in charge of the Preparation and Conduct of the Negotiations with the United Kingdom under Article 50 of the TEU] – we exchange very often views and considerations on the sense of direction. Looking at the numbers, the UK contributes today only 3% of the civilian capabilities in our EU operations and missions and 5% to the military ones. So for sure it is a valued contribution, but for sure a contribution without which the European Union's defence and security work can continue perfectly well.
Q. The UK suggested an exchange - trade against security in the Brexit negotiations. What's your view on this?
As I said, the contribution that the UK is giving to the European Union's security and defence work is important but is limited. 5% in the military operations, 3% in the civilian operations - it is not a percentage that the other member states cannot fill in once they will be gone. So I wish we could and we will establish a good and solid security and defence cooperation also after Brexit. For sure the European Union and the UK will continue to cooperate in this field also through our cooperation with NATO; I have no news of the UK leaving NATO – so this will continue to be a common fora. But the numbers with which the UK is currently contributing to the European Union's defence and security operations and missions is not that big as to create a challenge for the European Union in the future. So leverage in that respect will be really minimal on their side.
Q. Will the European Union cooperation with NATO be enhanced?
It is already. Since last July, when we signed a common understanding, a common partnership between the European Union and NATO at the margins of the Warsaw Summit, we have advanced enormously in this cooperation. We are continuing, both at my level but also at practical level – the fact that I am always attending the ministerial meetings in NATO and [Jens] Stoltenberg [NATO Secretary General] constantly attends our ministerial meetings in the European Union defence formation shows an excellent cooperation. And as I said, not only at political level, but also at practical level, staff level, we are turning the purposes into something very concrete and very real, because our citizens need cooperation in the field of security and defence and this is exactly what we are already doing and will continue to do.
Q. About Mr Tillerson – do you have a question or a message to deliver to him?
I met him last week for the third or the fourth time I think in the last month, so we continue to work together. Contacts and work with the US administration on the European Union side are good, frequent. There are things on which we have different positions, on trade, on climate, on other things, but there are other issues on which we work well together and we will continue to work well together. And again, contacts are basically daily contacts; I will have a telephone conversation later today with Vice-President [of the United States] Pence; we continue to work well together. Again, this does not mean that we agree on everything; we have different policies on some issues but many converging interests, and security is definitely one of those.
In Italian:
Q. Il Ministro degli Esteri inglese Boris Johnson ha detto che la cooperazione del Regno Unito con l'Unione europea senza condizione continuerà anche dopo la Brexit. Le sembra un buon segnale dopo le parole della May e della lettera…?
Inizieremo il negoziato, ne ho parlato oggi anche con Michel Barnier, inizieremo oggi il negoziato e vedremo dove ci condurrà. Da parte dell'Unione europea certamente c'è tutto l'interesse ad avere la più stretta e la migliore cooperazione una volta che la Gran Bretagna sarà uscita dall'Unione europea in tutti i campi, in tutti i settori, ma questo lo lasciamo ai negoziati che appunto iniziano ora e non possiamo predeterminarne l'esito. Quello che ho ricordato è che nel campo della sicurezza e della difesa la Gran Bretagna contribuisce in modo utile e importante alle missioni e alle operazioni militari e civili dell'Unione europea: abbiamo 16 missioni. Ma nella misura del 3% per il personal civile e del 5% per il personale militare e quindi certamente non è una cifra tale di uomini e di mezzi che possa creare un problema alla dimensione dell'Unione europea nella difesa e della sicurezza per il futuro. Grazie!