Dear Readers, Edition N°49 of our magazine is published at a time when wars are edging closer to us and people are worrying about security and peace. We decided to put the focus of this edition on Europe and the Transatlantic Alliance, and cooperation in civil protection. There is no doubt that the Transatlantic Alliance remains a community of shared values and NATO the cornerstone of collective defence. However, it is high time to reflect on the question of whether the convenient dependence on US power has not become a gilded cage for Europeans. Considering the shift of US interest to the Ind ..read more

by Charlotte Renckens, Deputy Head of Unit, Directorate-General HERA, European Commission, Brussels HERA, a new player in the global health security landscape The recent pandemic is a stark reminder that the world is still not fully prepared for emerging infectious diseases, which are a constant threat. In fact, new diseases can emerge at any time, from anywhere in the world. And investing in health preparedness helps us to detect and respond to these diseases quickly and effectively. Climate change is also exacerbating health risks and increases the spread of diseases, such as malaria and den ..read more

Interview with HE Nasser Kamel, Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Barcelona/Cairo and Maciej Popowski, Director-General of DG ECHO, European Commission, Brussels The European: Mr Kamel and Mr Popowski, over the past years, the European Union (EU) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) have developed close cooperation on civil protection. New joint projects and programmes have recently been launched. What drives both the EU and the UfM to undertake such an ambitious political and technical initiative between nations with different political traditions, diverging geo ..read more

by Nannette Cazaubon, Paris Three major meetings on Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in civil protection were held in Barcelona and Valencia from 17 to 19 October 2023. Hosted by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), the three events organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM, see box) brought together 100 officials from 22 countries across the Euro-Mediterranean region. Our magazine was invited to observe the event during the three days. Together wi ..read more

by Dr Eunsook Chung, Senior Fellow Emeritus of Security Strategy Studies at Sejong Institute, Seoul In December last year, South Korea also adopted its official version of an Indo-Pacific strategy entitled “Strategy for a free, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region”. While emphasising the Indo-Pacific as home to 65% of the world population, accounting for more than 60% of the world’s GDP and half of global maritime transport, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration recognised the complicated nature of challenges threatening “a free, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.” In its view, the Indo ..read more

The European: Mr Kiesewetter, you are a member of the German Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs committee and an expert on security and defence. You recently called for the European Union (EU) to reduce its dependence on NATO. Can you explain the background to your statement? Roderich Kiesewetter: I am not talking about NATO as an alliance. This alliance is essential for the survival of the rules-based order in the global systemic war in which we already find ourselves. I am more concerned about credible burden sharing, as in Europe, and especially in Germany, our security is not based on our own eff ..read more

by Michael Gahler MEP, European Parliament, Brussels/Strasbourg On 4 December 1998 in St Malo, Jacques Chirac and Tony Blair provided the initial impulse for the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). In the St. Malo declaration, both stated the ambition that “the Union must have the capacity for autonomous action, backed up by credible military forces, the means to decide to use them, and a readiness to do so, in order to respond to international crises”. While the declaration reflected the European experience of lacking the proper capacities to handle the challenges of the Balkan wa ..read more

by Cyrille Schott, Préfet de Region (h), and Board Member of EuroDefénse-France, Strasbourg Joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in different postures, from the beginning France and Germany did not have the same approach to NATO, the military organisation of the Transatlantic Alliance, and this continues today. Diverging approaches from the beginning France signed the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949 and thus belonged to the founding members of the Atlantic Alliance. It actively contributed, notably at the Lisbon Conference in 1952, to the politico-military structuring of ..read more

A few years after the end of the second world war that left Europe in ruins, the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was part of a broader project. The US administration under President Harry Truman saw in a transatlantic alliance a powerful instrument to deter the expansionism of the communist Soviet Union (USSR), avoid the revival of nationalist militarism in Europe through a strong North American presence on the continent, and encourage European political integration. The beginnings On the other side of the Atlantic, in response to increasing tensions among the victori ..read more

by Gesine Weber, Research Fellow at the German Marshall Fund, Paris Russia’s war against Ukraine has shown that the transatlantic alliance can deliver on challenges in its neighbourhood. NATO has proven more united than ever, and has played a critical role in deterrence. While the US has shouldered most of the military aid, European governments have also significantly contributed to this effort through bilateral aid. The activation of the European Peace Facility for financing the delivery of lethal weapons to Ukraine and the launch of joint ammunition procurement have shown that the EU has a r ..read more