(Brussels) “We are proud of what has been achieved together so far. But we can do more” – this is the conclusion of the joint declaration on EU-NATO cooperation that has just been released in Brussels, ahead of the NATO Summit that will be held tomorrow and the day after tomorrow in the Belgian capital, where the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is based. The two-page document in English and French, divided into 11 points, insists on the shared “values” and the need to “strengthen cooperation” in the face of the new challenges to security and peace.

The document reaffirms the importance of the principles of subsidiarity (respective competences of NATO, the EU and States) and solidarity in actions aimed, inter alia: at maritime cooperation in the Mediterranean to contribute to “fighting migrant smuggling and trafficking”; at responding to “hybrid” (non-conventional) threats and cyber-attacks; and at supporting the defence capacity “of our neighbours to the East and to the South”. Cooperation is also extended to military mobility; counter-terrorism; “strengthening resilience to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear-related risks”; and to “promoting the women peace and security agenda”.

The document stresses the importance of the efforts that the European Union is making to establish a common European defence policy. The topics that will be discussed tomorrow include military spending (with NATO and the US calling for more investment); relations with Russia; conflicts and instability in the Middle East and Africa; and migration and security.