The annual Conference of the European Defence Agency (EDA) held in Brussels, was completed. The Minister of National Defence Dimitris Avramopoulos presiding over EU Defence Ministers Council addressed the key speech on: “Reinforcing and Upgrading European Defence Policy”.
The conference was opened by EDA’s Chief Executive Mrs. Claude – France Arnould.
Mr. Avramopoulos addressed the following speech:
"Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure and honor for me to participate in this very important Annual Conference of the European Defence Agency. I couldn’t agree more with the topic. Indeed, European Defence matters! It matters for political stability and security in our continent; for our citizens’ security; for the job-market, the cutting-edge technologies and the growth of EU member states.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
First of all, allow me to share with you some thoughts on the importance of European defence collaboration. For decades, Europe has been pursuing the path of integration through function. Yet today, it is about time to survey the geopolitical landscape and to strive for the only existent realistic choice. This choice calls for political vision and will. If we do not manage to provide a common European answer to the critical security questions, then we will soon realize that our shared economic interests will be undermined.
But let’s indeed have a closer look to the geopolitical realities that shape our time, our region, our world. First and foremost, Europe as continent, Union and common market needs to return to sustainable growth. Europe cannot afford any more the continuation of the economic stalemate that threatens our societies and our democracies. In order to return to growth, we need security both in our borders and within our societies.
Taking the neighboring regional reality into consideration, we will clearly perceive the emergence of an arch of instability stretching from Ukraine to the northern shores of Africa laying heavy pressure to trade and exports; threatening critical energy routes; scaring tourist markets and in position to further fuel illegal immigration pressures to Europe. This front of instability could become a real threat to Europe in many aspects, and it may have repercussions on the domestic political scene of the member states, as well as across Europe, by triggering the rise of nationalism and populism. In this respect, we should not witness a new European Parliament defined by strengthened Anti-European parties. Europe together with our transatlantic partners should launch complimentary initiatives and actions, with a true spirit of solidarity and determination, in order to meet this challenge.
The second crucial geopolitical development that calls for the deepening of our defence and security cooperation is the fact that we live in a world that has new protagonists with new global perspectives: The United States are looking for a strategic disengagement from the overstretching of commitments and defence expenditures. Resurgent Russia seems to have a clear strategic positioning about the future of Eurasia. China is fast developing its security and defence capability claiming in this way, a leading role in the developments shaping the Asia-Pacific Rim.
The third defining factor of contemporary geopolitics is the relentless competition for energy resources, which to a large extent shapes the system of international relations in our time.
Global security cannot be served if there is a void of security and defence policy in Europe. The growth of our economies will stumble, if we do not respond together to the crisis enveloping our immediate neighborhood. Our national sovereignty will suffer, if we do not empower Europe’s sovereignty as a force to be reckoned with.
Europe has both internal and external reasons to develop a clear geopolitical approach for its position in the contemporary world that will be supported by a truly common foreign, defence and security policy. We must realize that in our world, European cooperation in the field of defence and security is not just another European project. It has become one of the most critical pillars of European democracy, integration, cohesion and growth.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In times of crises, the European Union should reinforce its role as a source of political stability, prosperity and security, not only in a regional, but also in a global scale. A common security and defence policy constitutes a safe path to tackle the security challenges and dilemmas we face. By doing more together and doing it better, by learning to stand as one, we will be able to be more proficient in crisis management. My strong belief is that the European Union should enhance its situational awareness and preparedness in both political and operational terms. Never forget that when the means are limited, political will is crucial.
The European Council of December 2013 confirmed the renewed interest of Europe in promoting defence and security cooperation. It would indeed be essential to stipulate the European Council of December 2013 as a point of departure -rather than a point of arrival- for the establishment of a comprehensive political framework dealing with European military and defence-related matters. The European Council is not the end of the “defence journey’’, but rather the beginning of a new European Defence future; and the EDA’s bright future is in the hands of the participating member states.
Despite concerns about the possible loss of national sovereignty that managing and developing military capabilities together may entail, I fully agree that Europeans are already losing sovereignty by not consolidating, not optimizing, not innovating, not regionalizing and not integrating their military capabilities. Without these joint developments, they risk losing their “strategic autonomy”. Both action and determination are required in order to create the appropriate enabling mechanisms to combat this eventuality.
Distinguished guests,
Greece has been always putting emphasis on the historical necessity and the political importance of European cooperation in the field of defence, as a key political priority for the future of Europe and its potential. It is not a matter of coincidence that, the last time that Europe focused on defence issues, was ten years ago, when again Greece held the Presidency of the European Council, when the European Defence Agency was established.
Despite the current financial constraints, it is of my profound belief that we are facing a great opportunity, originating from our solid intention to work closely in order to develop a healthy and competitive defence industry sector. It is time to perceive the emerging changes and overcome any identified institutional or operating malaises in order to schedule our further actions and to launch a new strategic era in the interaction between policy and defence industry.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
There is a lot we can do together to avoid duplication of capabilities, to overcome the current fragmentation of the European defence market, to achieve greater cost-effectiveness and ultimately to enable Europe to maintain a competitive defence industrial and technological base.
It is also very important to continue working on the cooperative capability projects agreed in December, where the European Defence Agency plays undoubtedly a key role. The EDA projects, activities and mechanisms in the Research & Development area, offer an excellent opportunity for the European defence industry. To this extent, the European Defence Agency has been playing a very important role in the improvement of European capabilities for the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and the Lisbon Treaty has strengthened the Agency’s role in this mission.
It is my belief that the challenges of this Conference are significant and I am confident that we can achieve our objectives, if we advance towards the creation of an integrated European Defence system, which is today more important than ever.
Dear friends,
The quest for European Defence is today more topical than ever. The main question is whether Europe, as an entity, relinquishes its right to Defence, or not: if really not, we should examine this issue all along and on a new basis with the experience gained in recent years; the experience of the economic crisis and of Europe’s incapacity to clearly express a common coherent and comprehensive political stance.
European integration requires the main components of a state: economy and defence. Hence, we should move forward to economic integration and to common political governance, being preconditions for a competent common European Defence Policy.
We should never forget that the process of European integration started from the defence sector. The first European organization established in the aftermath of World War II was purely defensive; the Western European Union. However, it failed because it lacked political will and economic foundations.
Today we have both; actually, all three constituent parts: politics, economics, defence. Let us then move together towards the transformation of the European Defence Agency to a European Defence Organization, being of equal standing with all the other institutions of the European Union. The appropriate timing is now
This is the only way to establish a real political Europe; a real European political governance. It is my belief that such initiatives contribute to further developing the cooperation among our countries in the area of defence strategy and defence industry to the benefit of regional stability and world peace.
A cet égard, j’aimerais féliciter Madame Claude-France Arnould, qui dirige l’Agence Européenne de Défense, avec compétence et autorité, mais aussi ses collaboratrices et collaborateurs et de la rassurer que la Grèce, en tant qu’État membre, sera toujours à ses côtés, afin de parvenir ce que tous nous ici souhaitons: une Europe de Défense unie, forte, acteur principale dans le processus de la prevention contre touts menaces à la paix et à la sécurité Européenne et internationale.
I wish you productive discussions and successful results.
Thank you".
