Costa invites leaders of EU, UK and NATO Secretary General to informal defense summit
European Council President António Costa invited the leaders of the EU member states, the UK and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to an informal Council meeting dedicated to European defense.
The corresponding invitation letter was published by the press service of the European Council on Monday. The informal meeting is scheduled for February 3 and will be held in Belgium at the Limont Castle near Brussels.
"I believe we share a similar assessment of the threats Europe is facing. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has brought high-intensity war back to our continent - violating the core principles of international law and threatening European security – coupled with growing hybrid and cyber -attacks on Member States and their economies and societies. Peace in Europe depends on Ukraine winning a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. This geopolitical context, which is also marked by the situation in the Middle East, will remain challenging in the foreseeable future," Costa outlined the situation.
In this regard, he informed the leaders that the purpose of this meeting would be to prepare the ground for the decisions "we will have to take and to provide guidance to the Commission and the High Representative as they prepare a white paper on the future of European defence, which will cover joint defence initiatives and the resources necessary to develop them." "As foreseen in the Leaders' Agenda, my aim is to return to the subject of defence at the June 2025 European Council," the President of the European Council said.
Costa proposed holding the discussion based on two main principles. "First, Europe needs to assume greater responsibility for its own defence. It needs to become more resilient, more efficient, more autonomous and a more reliable security and defence actor. In so doing, it will also become a stronger transatlantic partner, including in the context of NATO, in full respect of the security and defence policy of certain Member States and taking into account the security and defence interests of all Member States," the letter reads. The second principle, the President of the European Council named both the responsibility of Member States for their armed forces and the need for closer cooperation at the European level in order to "maximise economies of scale and reduce costs, guarantee interoperability, ensure stable and long-term demand – so as to give more predictability to our industry – and prevent duplication." "The level of investment, including in research and development, required to bolster our capacity is not affordable for individual Member States acting on their own. Moreover, effective defence is a 'common good' benefitting all Europeans. Increased defence investment must also contribute to reinforcing the overall economic competitiveness and cohesion of the European Union through an industrial sector capable of developing its technological excellence across the European Union and contributing to job creation. The goal of strengthening European defence should be taken into account in all relevant Union policies," Costa said.
According to the President of the European Council, in order to prepare the next steps, the discussion should focus on questions such as "What should be – and how do we define – the defence capabilities that we need to develop in a collaborative way as a matter of priority, due to their importance to the EU´s collective security?"
Other questions he mentioned include how to accelerate the mobilisation of private funding and with which EU instruments, how best to use the EU budget in the short, medium and long term, how to further strengthen and deepen existing partnerships, and what should be the objectives and priorities with European partners outside the EU.
Costa also explained that he had invited the NATO Secretary General to join him for lunch, which would provide "a timely opportunity to discuss the most pressing defence-related issues, in particular our support for Ukraine, as well as EU-NATO cooperation." "We will be joined by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for a working dinner ahead of the EU-UK Summit that will take place later this year. This dinner will be the first time Prime Minister Starmer will meet with all 27 Leaders. The UK is a key partner for the European Union, notably in the field of defence. I expect the discussion to focus on that dimension of our relationship," Costa said.